What’s Up Joe? Almost 50 Days Into His Term And Still No Press Conference.
Many Americans wonder why President Joe Biden hasn’t held a press conference yet.
March 11, 2021
Citizens across America have been debating a newly controversial topic with regards to President Joe Biden. He has not had a press conference since he was elected President in the 2020 election.
USA Today said that it has been “…the longest any president has waited to make himself broadly accessible to the media in decades.”
One of the main issues in this controversy is citizens are wondering if it really matters that he is yet to have a press conference. As usual, the country is split over their opinions on whether this is even news worthy.
A press briefing was held February 26th for President Biden where White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said, “We look forward to holding a full press conference in the coming weeks, before the end of the month, and we are working on setting a final date for that, and as soon as we do, we will let you all know”.
Matthew Brown, a writer for USA Today, wrote that President Barack Obama held his first press conference only 20 days into office and President Donald Trump held a press conference on his 27th day in office. It’s been more than 40 days into President Biden’s term and many Americans do not seem to think that there is a visible urge to hold a press conference any time soon.
Another part of this controversy that has sparked questions happened on March 3rd when President Biden’s live feed was abruptly cut off. Citizens across America are wondering why this happened and if there is a reason behind it. Some suspicions that have arisen is the possibility of Biden’s team not wanting him to answer questions in front of the public because they think he may have trouble answering them.
Some Americans think that the reason Joe Biden has not held press conferences is because of his age and the potential of having some cognitive communication issues.
Joe Battenfield, a writer for the Boston Herald, thinks that “It’s bad enough that the president and his staff don’t have faith in him and his sometimes wandering mind to make it through an hour long press conference. But it’s also appalling that the media lets him get away with it”.
The students of Durant High School were asked their opinion on whether they thought this situation was a big deal or not and it seems like the school is close to being split in half with their opinions. Out of 64 votes 50% think that it is not a big deal at all, while 50% think it is.
Sophomore Makayla Richards feels that a press conference should be a priority “Because [Joe Biden] needs to know what other people think and he needs to let people know what he’s going to be doing and what he’s wanting to do [for our country]”.
Because [Joe Biden] needs to know what other people think and he needs to let people know what he’s going to be doing and what he’s wanting to do [for our country]
— Makayla Richards
People just want to find things to complain about. Just because he hasn’t made a press conference in the beginning like some of the other presidents have doesn’t mean [anything]
— Justin Cokes
Senior Justin Cokes thinks that the situation “[Is] not a big deal. People just want to find things to complain about. Just because he hasn’t made a press conference in the beginning like some of the other presidents have doesn’t mean [anything]”.
Americans will be waiting to see if President Biden ends up having his first press conference by the end of March. No matter what side citizens are a part of politically there is an expectation of a press conference to be held soon, that will hopefully answer some questions and provide guidance with where the country is going to go in the next four years.
“Leaders have different strengths and strategies. Joe Biden’s strategy around press conferences differs from other presidents,” said freshman Aaralyn McClellan. “I don’t know when he will hold his first conference but hopefully it will be soon because I think it is needed.”
