President Joe Biden criticized a journalist for not “playing by the rules” at a news conference Thursday when he asked him about a stalled ceasefire deal for the war in Gaza instead of Ukraine.
Biden lashed out at a Bloomberg News journalist who asked him about Gaza, even as he touted a 10-year U.S. security commitment to Ukraine alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“I’d like them to follow the rules a little bit,” Biden cleared his throat.
There is no such agreement on the part of the media to stay on a certain topic in press conferences.
‘I am here to talk about a critical situation in Ukraine. You’re asking me about another topic,’ Biden complained.
President Joe Biden criticized journalists for not “playing by the rules” when asking questions about issues other than Ukraine at a news conference Thursday at the G7 in Italy.
The war in Gaza is a top issue between the United States and its key allies, and has come up repeatedly during White House news conferences, including one earlier on Thursday.
And Biden’s team had already announced the security agreement with Ukraine earlier in the trip.
Biden may have gotten angry at the reporter above, who asked him about his son Hunter being found guilty by a Delaware jury in federal court over a gun magazine.
But even that question was phrased as an inquiry into the additions and struggles in his family, rather than the more unseemly aspects of the trial. It came after a series of efforts to shield Biden from questions about her son during the trip.
Biden’s response indicated that it was not a lack of fluency on the issue that forced him to vent.
He correctly noted that the latest plan for a gradual ceasefire was backed by the UN Security Council and the G7.
“The biggest problem so far is that Hamas refuses to sign despite having presented something similar,” he said, echoing his administration’s pressure on Hamas.
Off script: The president admonished reporters for not “playing by the rules” after they asked off-topic questions. Biden’s speaker had a huge sign proclaiming a new security agreement with Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy expressed gratitude for the agreement and called for unity. He thanked Congress and both parties for a supplemental appropriation that is providing billions in new aid, despite battlefield setbacks for the Russians.
Time is on your side (until the sun sets). Biden missed a rule of good manners: he was an hour late for his press conference
The main “rule” for the journalist that the media followed was a “two and two” format in which the media on each side received two questions, from the United States and Ukraine.
Biden routinely reprimands journalists who ask questions from multiple sides as a way to get around the strict limitation.
Despite Biden’s complaints, the structure of the event was set up to suit his interests. It did not become a pitched battle.
He faced just one question about Hunter’s historic trial during the event while it was underway.
At the end there were shouted follow-up questions, and Biden gave a one-word answer: “no,” he would not commute his son’s sentence. (He previously said and said again Thursday that he would not forgive him.)
There are new customs the White House has implemented that clash with the rules and decorum of press events of the past. One is the use of loud music at the end of the event, which has the effect of preventing a series of shouted questions from being captured on video as the president exits.
Another is the tactic of having White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre use a microphone to declare the event over. Jean-Pierre grabbed a microphone as the press conference neared its predetermined end.
Biden again carried a card with the two predetermined reporters he would call at the event.
The issue the White House wanted to focus on became clear with great power between the president and Zelensky: THE US-UKRAINE BILATERAL SECURITY AGREEMENT.’
It commits the United States to supporting the country for years, although as a non-treaty it would not bind a future US administration. However, it is a policy that could corner Donald Trump if he were to defeat Biden and retake the White House.
Biden deviated from a pre-established part of the program: the start time. She left almost exactly an hour after the 7:45 start time. That had the effect of frustrating his advance team, who had selected an attractive backdrop of olive trees in the grounds of the luxury hotel where he is staying.
Many of the shots that photographers obtained from the event showed a dark background.
