White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Friday that President Biden will hold his first press conference by the end of the month.
At Friday’s press briefing, Psaki was pressed on why Biden had not appeared at a press conference 45 days into his administration, a longer drought than any president going back to Ronald Reagan.
Psaki committed to a press conference in the coming weeks, saying that Biden has been busy dealing with the pandemic, the COVID-19 relief bill and restoring the economy.
“We look forward to holding a full press conference in the coming weeks, before the end of the month,” Psaki said.
“We’re working on setting a final date for that … but this president came in during a historic crisis, a pandemic like the country had not seen in decades and decades and an economic downturn that left tens of millions of people out of work, so I think the American people would certainly understand if his focus and his energy and his attention has been on ensuring we secure enough vaccines for all Americans … and then pushing for a rescue plan,” she said.
Biden’s presidency has so far been a stark break from former President Trump, who would hold freewheeling, spur of the moment press conferences and fire off his thoughts over Twitter.
Biden has kept a low public profile, engaging with the press sporadically when questions are shouted at him during scripted events.
Psaki said that Biden had responded to 40 questions during those pool sprays at the White House or other public events, although those conditions are different from a press conference where multiple reporters get a chance to question the president and ask follow-up questions.
“The president takes questions several times a week,” Psaki said. “He took questions twice yesterday, which is an opportunity for people covering the White House to ask him about whatever news is happening on a given day.”