It’s been common knowledge for a long time that Joe Biden relies on scripted questions and copious notes in order to sound even semi-coherent during his infrequent press conferences.
Biden got mixed up and said airdrops were going "into Ukraine" instead of Gaza, even though he was reading straight from a note card.
That's probably why he won't go for a brain check.
pic.twitter.com/8EpVv44jAh— SERBS for TRUMP 2024 (@SerbsFor) March 3, 2024
During a recent event, however, one reporter dared to go off-script and ask a question Biden wasn’t prepared for. And the president couldn’t contain his disdain, as The Hill reported:
President Biden on Thursday pushed back on a reporter’s line of questioning about the Gaza cease-fire proposal during his press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
A reporter asked Biden for an assessment of Hamas’s response to the proposal and to describe his message to allies at the Group of Seven (G7) summit about the U.S.’s work toward a peace agreement.
“Wish you guys would play by the rules a little bit,” Biden replied. “I’m here to talk about a critical situation in Ukraine, you asked me another subject. I’ll be happy to answer in detail later.”
The incident quickly drew criticism on social media:
Video: Biden scolds a reporter for asking about Gaza and not a pre-approved question about Ukraine: “I wish you guys would play by the rules” pic.twitter.com/nBoEKxxCWa
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) June 13, 2024
Biden holds a VERY RARE, highly scripted "press conference" — then scolds the press for asking him a question: "I wish you guys would play by the rules a little bit"
ATTACK ON THE FREE PRESS! DEMOCRACY DIES IN DARKNESS! DISGUSTING! pic.twitter.com/RX6RRA0h9S
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) June 13, 2024
How DARE a reporter at the G7 ask Biden a question off-script and not “play by the rules”!!
That’s why the debates are at CNN and ABC. pic.twitter.com/UyfcdWyzwb
— Joe Has Dementia (@RokerGlasses) June 13, 2024
To its credit, the White House Correspondents Association pushed back against Biden’s behavior.
According to the New York Post:
Veteran NBC News reporter Kelly O’Donnell, president of the association, issued a statement noting that there are no “rules” for what reporters can ask at press conferences.
“The White House Correspondents’ Association believes it is in the public interest to make clear that at a presidential press conference, at home or abroad, there are no preconditions regarding question topics,” O’Donnell said.
“While the White House does determine the number of reporters the president will recognize, it is up to professional journalists to decide what to ask. Any leader may prefer that reporters ask only one question or ask only about a topic that is of most interest to the president or another world leader, but a free press functions independently. “
O’Donnell added that the association “welcome more opportunities to pose a range of questions to the president in a press conference setting.”
Of course, this was far from the first time Biden snapped at a reporter. Here’s a clip from just a couple of weeks ago:
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