Joe Biden will hold his first formal press conference as president next week, the White House said Tuesday, capping off a long dry spell that attracted criticism from his political opponents.
Biden, who has taken questions dozens of times after speeches and other events since his inauguration, will hold the formal back-and-forth with reporters on Thursday, March 25, his 64th day in office, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said.
Former President Donald Trump held his first formal press conference on his 27th day in office, while Barack Obama held his on the 20th day of his presidency. Most other presidents in modern history have held theirs within a similar time frame, prompting conservative critics to pounce on Biden’s delay and question whether it had to do with his reputation for occasional verbal gaffes.
White House officials have pushed back against the criticism by noting that Biden has fielded plenty of questions from reporters since taking office, just not in a formal press conference setting.
Unlike Biden, Trump relished any opportunity to engage in combative back-and-forths with reporters, generating daily headlines and outrage on social media.
The Biden White House has returned to a more traditional media strategy of reserving events and speeches for legislative accomplishments and policy announcements.
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