Biden to Hold First Presidential Press Conference, May Tackle COVID-19, Border Dispute
After two months of tenure, the United States President Joe Biden will hold his first formal news conference on March 25 at around 1:15 p.m. E.T., based on Tuesday's statement of White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki.
The recent past U.S. presidents back to Bill Clinton each held a solo White House News conference in their first month as a good-faith gesture toward the free press. Later on, each of them picked up different paces in resolving and responding to various issues their administration initially faced.
According to CBS News, at this point in the presidencies of former Presidents Obama and Trump, both have held press conferences which ranged from different issues during their terms. In the case of Biden, he is sure to be bombarded with questions from the current situation at the southern border of the U.S., the possibility of another stimulus check sent out, the status of the vaccine rollout, and even other surprising revelations.
Despite Biden taking shouted questions from reporters during events, some experts stated that it will be a different scenario for the U.S. president. The press conference is an unfamiliar situation for him as he has to answer uncontrolled questions from the media but in a formal and open way.
Based on historian Martha Joynt Kumar, the "high-risk, high-reward" presidential news press conference will put Biden in line with his recent predecessors in terms of opening himself up not only to the media but also to the public. But Kumar, the Co-Founder and Director for the White House Transition Project, shared that the Biden administration in the White House is a notably tight ship and should be fully aware of his history of flubs, PBS reported.
Biden, in his early political career, had a reputation for committing gaffes, and the U.S. president and his team had been cautious and ensured messages in the first weeks of his presidency, down to his campaign. But there were instances that the president has strayed, which his team worries might also happen during the news press conference.
Despite efforts of the White House in stepping up its media presence and boosting the administration's efforts about the recently enacted $1.9 trillion stimulus package and the scaling up vaccinations for COVID-19, still, issues overshadowed the initiatives of the administration. Also, it will be challenging for the U.S. president in terms of the question's scope as the country is now in the middle of the pandemic while experiencing problems from its borders to abroad, Marketwatch reported.
Possible Issues
The first issue that Biden might hear is about the response of the Biden administration in the ongoing Border crisis as officials of the U.S. Border patrol are already pleading for any action from Washington. Beyond the border, U.S. has lately faced issues with Russia and China, specifically the exchange of words of Biden with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Also, the U.S. president will be hearing questions in relation to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in the country. As the distribution of the third stimulus checks is still ongoing and the vaccination rollout continues, what will be the next move of the Biden administration.
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