Biden's tumultuous first year with the press, marked by sparring matches and less access

In President Biden’s first year in office, he held fewer press conferences than any of his four predecessors, frequently joking that he wasn’t allowed to take questions, and drawing criticism from both Republicans and Democrats.

In his first year in office, Biden held just 10 press conferences – two of them true solo formal ones – compared to Trump’s 22, Obama’s 27 and George W. Bush’s 19, according to the University of California Santa Barbara.

Former President Trump also dwarfed Biden in the number of solo sit-down interviews with the media, conducting 54, compared to Biden’s 16.

On multiple occasions, after giving remarks about critical topics, Biden would turn his back on a press corps shouting questions in his direction, earning him the nickname "Walkaway Joe," and leading one CBS News reporter to plead with Biden, "When will you take our questions?"

When the president did speak to the press, he frequently called on reporters from a predetermined list or joked that he was not supposed to take questions from the press, drawing criticism that he was not actually in charge.

During a press conference following the attack on U. S. troops in Kabul, Afghanistan, Biden said he was "instructed" to call on reporters from a pre-approved list. "Ladies and gentlemen, they gave me a list here. The first person I was instructed to call on was Kelly O’Donnell from NBC."

Again during a press conference following the G20 summit, Biden opened the floor to questions saying, "And now I’m happy to take some questions. And I’m told I should start with AP, Zeke Miller."

Biden also frequently s... (Read more)

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