President Biden has faced criticism for his combative interactions with the press, exemplified by a recent incident at the G-7 Summit in Italy. The White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) has addressed the situation, underscoring the importance of a free press.
During the summit on June 14, 2024, President Biden, alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, announced a 10-year agreement to provide continued military aid to Ukraine in their conflict with Russia. Biden specified that only four questions would be taken—two from American reporters and two from Ukrainian journalists.
However, tension arose when Josh Wingrove of Bloomberg deviated from the planned topic, asking about US involvement in the Israel-Gaza conflict. Biden, visibly irritated, responded, “I wish you guys would play by the rules a little bit. I’m here to talk about a critical situation in Ukraine. You’re asking another subject. I’ll be happy to answer in detail later, but the bottom line is that we made an agreement [in regard to Gaza].”
Following this, a reporter from the Associated Press asked about potential US weapons expansion into Russia and Hunter Biden, the president’s son, further agitating Biden.
The WHCA responded by issuing a statement emphasizing that a free press is essential and journalists should be able to ask questions without restrictions. They highlighted that while the White House controls the number of questions, reporters have the autonomy to decide what to ask. The association also called for more opportunities for journalists to pose a variety of questions to the president.
Throughout his presidency, Biden has shown frustration and hostility towards the press, especially when confronted with unexpected or sensitive questions. This pattern was evident in a February incident when Biden became visibly angry during a White House press conference addressing concerns about his mental fitness following a report from Special Counsel Robert Hur. When CNN correspondent MJ Lee mentioned concerns about his age, Biden retorted, “That’s your opinion! That’s not the opinion of the press!”
Further scrutiny arose in April 2023, when a photographer captured an image of Biden holding a cheat sheet during a press conference with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol. The sheet included a photo of Los Angeles Times journalist Courtney Subramanian, the phonetic pronunciation of her last name, and the notation ‘Question #1’, suggesting pre-selection of questions and reporters.
These incidents reflect ongoing tensions between President Biden and the media, raising questions about press freedom and the administration’s approach to unscripted queries from journalists.
