After 65 days of silence on any meaningful questions that concern Americans, Joe Biden today held his first press conference – the longest delay in taking questions from the press in the modern history of the presidency. President Trump held his first conference within 30 days of taking office. George W. Bush held his first within 34 days. Biden’s old boss, Barack Obama, held his 21 days into his presidency. And after today’s performance, I’m willing to bet that some in the White House would have liked to have postponed this briefing even longer.
What we saw was a confused and meandering Biden struggling to respond to softball questions from pre-approved reporters that Biden called upon from a list on his podium. Even though he was armed with scripted responses to the lob balls, he lost his train of thought frequently and spread multiple falsehoods.
On the border crisis, Biden falsely stated that “the vast majority [of migrants]…are being sent back…they’re not getting across the border.” According to Axios, the Biden Administration expelled just 13 percent of migrant families last week.
He also stated that President Trump’s border policies did not work, and that his day one action to overturn Trump’s border policies had no impact on the crisis we are seeing currently. This is exceedingly dishonest – multiple journalists have spoken with migrants who specifically stated that the reason they are trying to immigrate now is because Joe Biden is president.
We also saw moments of confusion and frustration that have become a Biden trademark. When asked about the filibuster and how he could implement his agenda, Biden – who spent over three decades in the Senate – claimed that those parliamentary rules are “not [his] expertise.”
More troubling responses underscored just how damaging Biden’s presidency is already proving to be in matters of foreign policy. In response to a question about North Korea’s ballistic missile tests, Biden said that North Korea was a top priority, and that he remains open to diplomacy. This might prove to be a challenge, however, given that North Korea has rebuffed all attempts to open dialogue and has stated that they will continue to do so with Biden’s administration. That might have been a useful follow-up question!
On China, Biden said that he “does not criticize” China’s ambitions and plans to be the “most powerful country in the world.” Biden appears unwilling to hold China accountable for their trade, economic and militaristic abuses, their treatment of pro-democracy protestors in Hong Kong, or their ethnic genocide of the Uyghers. When faced with confronting China, Biden’s approach seems to be one of appeasement. It’s increasingly clear that the Biden family is beholden to China.
Overall, this briefing was an insult to the American people. This was nothing more than a staged publicity stunt, and right on cue, the left-wing media is already praising Biden’s performance. There were no questions on COVID-19, or the economy. There was no question from Fox News’ Peter Doocy. This was not a legitimate press briefing.
We also got a clear glimpse of what the mainstream media will look like over the next four years. The days of tough questions and adversarial briefings are over, replaced with a fawning media who are more than happy to help spread liberal propaganda.
When asked if the filibuster was a racist relic of the Jim Crow era, Biden responded in the affirmative. There was not a single follow-up question about if Biden’s own use of the filibuster was racist, or about his party’s frequent use of the filibuster in recent years.
The biggest offender at today’s presser was without a doubt NPR’s Yamiche Alcindor, who asked Biden if he thought more migrants were coming to the southern border because he is a “moral, decent man.”
Despite claiming that the administration is committed to transparency, the media – including liberal outlets like CNN – are growing increasingly frustrated with the White House. After denying and downplaying the humanitarian and national security crisis at the southern border, the administration finally surrendered and agreed to let the press have access to migrant holding facilities. A victory for transparency? Well, not exactly. Only one camera was allowed at one facility for one visit.
When NBC’s Kristen Welker asked if the Biden administration would allow the press to see the overcrowded facilities, and not just one selected by the White House, Biden responded with the usual, hollow platitude that he is “committed to transparency.” When pressed on a timeline for access, Biden intimated that it wouldn’t happen until after his border “policies” were implemented. Essentially, the Biden Administration is committed to transparency, unless it will make them look incompetent.
Only 30 reporters were allowed access to the briefing due to COVID – despite the fact that Biden and the press corps have all been vaccinated. According to reporting on Biden’s preparations for today, he has been practicing, holding mock briefings with staff and is armed with a three-ring binder of talking points printed in 14 point font.
For most administrations, press briefings are common and allow the public access to unfiltered and unscripted answers on issues that matter to all of us. This level of preparation – and the lengthy silence that has preceded it – is a sign of Biden’s inability to perform even the most basic duties required by the Office of the President.
As Biden returns to the basement, having shoved the border crisis onto President – sorry, Vice President – Kamala Harris, the White House needs to truly commit to transparency, not half-hearted and heavily choreographed press events like this briefing today.
The Biden-Harris administration is playing fast and loose with Americans’ lives and livelihoods, and we the people deserve frequent and comprehensive answers on the pressing issues that impact us.