Biden will hold his first press conference since taking office next week.
White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki announced Tuesday (March 16) that President Biden will hold his first official press conference since taking office on Thursday afternoon, March 25.
The new president has been in office for 55 days, and many are beginning to wonder why Biden hasn’t held a formal press conference by now, in marked contrast to many of his predecessors, according to U.S. media outlet Fox. The longest Time a new president has gone without a press conference in the past 100 years is more than seven weeks.
The White House noted that Biden has taken brief questions from reporters in informal settings.
“The president takes questions several times a week,” White House press secretary Leonardo Psaki told reporters last week, “and it’s an opportunity for people who cover White House news to ask him about any news that’s happening on any given day.”
Fox News said pressure has been heating up recently for Biden to provide reporters with the opportunity to ask questions directly. The Washington Post editorial board wrote last week, “It’s time for Biden to hold a press conference.” Zeke Miller, president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, told Vanity Fair that such briefings are “critical to keeping the American people informed and holding the administration accountable to the public.”
Frank Sesno, former dean of the George Washington University School of Media, told The Associated Press that avoiding contact with reporters could be a way to avoid gaffes. “He (Biden) didn’t do very well in those press conferences.” Sesno said.
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