While President Biden may have touted his successes on Tuesday, he had nothing to offer reporters but a grin as he ignored their questions.
In a rare public appearance, particularly since he relinquished the Democratic Party nomination to Vice President Kamala Harris, Biden spoke about his "Investing in America" agenda during an event at the White House.
"COVID no longer controls our lives. We’ve gone from economic crisis to the strongest economy in the world, literally," he said. "Record 16 million new jobs, record small business growth, record stock market, record high 401(k)s, wages are up, inflation is down, way down and continuing to come down, and the smallest racial wealth gap in 20 years."
After concluding his remarks with, "May God protect our troops," reporters shouted questions at Biden for 60 seconds as he remained at the desk smiling and slowly gathering his things before he was guided out of the room.
BIDEN LAUGHS AND SMIRKS AS THE PRESS IS USHERED OUT OF THE OVAL OFFICE WITHOUT QUESTIONS
Reporters could be heard asking about various key issues, such as establishing a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war, free IVF treatment and high grocery prices, while staffers ushered them out, saying, "Thank you, press."
"Crooked Joe Biden — completely cooked — spends a full minute ignoring questions as his handlers desperately attempt to remove them from the room," the Trump War Room account wrote in response. "Warning: This is painful to watch."
The New York Times is one news outlet of many that has directly called out the president’s lack of direct interviews with the press.
"For anyone who understands the role of the free press in a democracy, it should be troubling that President Biden has so actively and effectively avoided questions from independent journalists during his term," The Times said in a public statement in April. "The president occupies the most important office in our nation, and the press plays a vital role in providing insights into his thinking and worldview, allowing the public to assess his record and hold him to account."
The statement went on to say that while Biden may be within his rights to avoid the New York Times in particular, he needs to speak with major news outlets on principle.
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"However, in meetings with Vice President Harris and other administration officials, the publisher of The Times focused instead on a higher principle: That systematically avoiding interviews and questions from major news organizations doesn’t just undermine an important norm, it also establishes a dangerous precedent that future presidents can use to avoid scrutiny and accountability."
