You can imagine intent will be swept away in questions about guns and immigration, but the White House is hoping President Joe Biden will be able to get his success through Congress so early in his administration today, the Covid-19- emergency law. .
Jonathan Lemire and Zeke Miller write for the Associated Press that he is the first chief executive in four decades to reach this point in his tenure without conducting a formal question-and-answer session. He will meet with reporters for the nationally televised afternoon event in the East Room of the White House.
“It is an opportunity for him to speak to the American people, directly through the coverage of course, directly through all of you,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters aboard Air Force One on Tuesday. “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 tap into a free press.”
Biden’s conservative critics have noted the delay in suggesting that Biden was protected by his staff. West Wing assistants have dismissed press conference inquiries as an obsession in Washington, pointing to Biden’s high endorsement scores, while suggesting the general public is not concerned about the event.
Behind the scenes, assistants have taken the event seriously enough to hold a mock session with the president earlier this week. And there is some concern that Biden, a self-proclaimed “blunder machine,” could deliver the message and generate a series of unflattering news cycles.
Biden affirmed his belief in freedom of the press and has rebuked his predecessor’s inflammatory rhetoric towards the media, including Donald Trump’s references to reporters as “ the enemy of the people. ” Biden restored the daily press briefing, which had died out under Trump, and opened a window into the workings of the White House.
Biden will point to a surge in vaccine distribution, encouraging signs in the economy and the benefits Americans will receive from the sweeping stimulus package.
But his appearance comes just a day after he appointed Vice President Kamala Harris to lead the government response to the situation at the US-Mexico border, where the government faces a growing humanitarian and political challenge that threatens to undermine Biden’s legislative agenda. overshadow. Pressure on the White House has increased to support tougher weapons measures, and the White House is struggling to slow down a nationwide effort by Republican lawmakers to tighten electoral laws.