Inside Biden's media evasion
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🎤 Biden has engaged in fewer press conferences and media interviews than any of the last seven presidents at this point in their terms, according to an analysis by presidential scholar Martha Kumar.
- He's sitting for a rare interview with ABC News on Friday amid growing concerns about his age and acuity — and accusations that his inner circle has taken pains to hide the president's true condition from public view.
- Biden's media engagement particularly contrasts with that of Trump, who despite demonizing the press often was willing to talk — and talk.
🧮 Kumar has tracked press conferences, media interviews and informal question-and-answer sessions between presidents and small groups of reporters.
- Biden has participated in just 36 press conferences so far — including solo and with other government or foreign leaders. Among the seven most recent presidents, only Ronald Reagan had fewer, at 25.
- Biden has given fewer media interviews than any other president since at least Reagan, with just 125. George W. Bush had the second-fewest at this point in his presidency, with 166.
- ☎️ The interview category includes various forms of direct conversations with reporters, including phone calls and off-the-record meals.
Yes, but: Biden has been more prolific with less formal Q&As with select, small "pools" of reporters, engaging in this way more than any other recent president except Trump.
- Kumar counts 588 such sessions for Biden to Trump's 664. Barack Obama had just 103 examples of this kind of press engagement.
"Joe Biden has always stood up for the critical role of the free press in our democracy, and looks forward to his next press conference next week," White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said.
