After over two months in office, President Joe Biden has not held a press single conference — that is, until today — and there will be a plethora of topics the president will likely have to answer questions about.
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Biden can hail his achievements passing his historic $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, but then he’ll likely be forced to pivot to a discussion on a slew of issues facing the country.
Expected to be brought up are two recent mass shootings, and the pressure to address tougher gun measures. Of course, Biden will have to discuss the COVID-19 pandemic, and questions on vaccines, and herd immunity in the country. Then there's the surge of migrants arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border. There's the recent provocative actions from both North Korea and Russia. And then there's the lack of Asian American representation within his cabinet, a matter of utmost importance given the high number of racist and anti-Asian attacks that have happened in the last year.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters Tuesday that Biden’s first press conference was “an opportunity for him to speak to the American people.” She added: “And so I think he’s thinking about what he wants to say, what he wants to convey, where he can provide updates, and, you know, looking forward to the opportunity to engage with a free press.”
Biden’s aides dismiss the importance of why it’s taken the president so long to formally speak, pointing to his sky high approval ratings. Kathleen Hall Jamieson, presidential scholar and professor of communication at the University of Pennsylvania, tells Associated Press that the press conference has an important role in holding leaders accountable.
“A question I ask: What is the public going to learn in this venue that it couldn’t learn elsewhere? And why does it matter? The answer: The president speaks for the nation.”
But, even though Biden suffered from a stutter as a child, and has long been known for his off-the-cuff gaffes when speaking, he embraces his opportunities to speak with reporters.
According to Frank Sesno, former head of George Washington University’s school of media, Biden’s strength is in his pre-prepared speeches.
“His strongest communication is not extemporaneous. He can ramble or stumble into a famous Biden gaffe,” Sesno in a recent interview, according to AP. “But to this point, he and his team have been very disciplined with the message of the day and in hitting the words of the day.”
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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