Perspectives: Biden and Press Conferences

Bipartisan calls are mounting for President Joe Biden to hold his first solo press conference since he took office on Jan. 20. During his time as president, Biden has sat for several one-on-one interviews, done a CNN town hall, made several prepared speeches and announcements, and answered a few questions from reporters at events, but the president has yet to hold a press conference. Biden is the first president in the past four decades to go this far into his administration without holding a formal press conference with reporters. Some say press conferences are critical to informing the American people and holding an administration accountable to the public. Others say reporters are responsible for pressuring Biden to hold a news conference. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Friday that President Joe Biden would hold a press conference by the end of the month. Voices from across the political spectrum, from the Washington Post editorial board to former White House Press secretary Kayleigh McEnany and Republican chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, have called for Biden to hold a press conference. Voices from the right tend to highlight Biden's past "gaffes" during speeches as a potential reason why he has yet to hold a press conference; others compared Biden's media strategy to former President Donald Trump's, who often used Twitter to address Americans directly.