President Joe Biden snapped at a reporter at a news conference Thursday for not following the rules when he asked about a stalled ceasefire deal in Gaza instead of Ukraine.
Biden lashed out at a Bloomberg News reporter who asked him about the situation in the Middle East, even as he joined Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in touting a 10-year U.S. security commitment to Ukraine.
“I wish you would follow the rules a little,” Biden grumbled.
There is no such agreement between the media to focus on a specific subject at press conferences.
“I am here to talk about a critical situation in Ukraine. You’re asking me about a different subject,” Biden complained. “I’ll be happy to give you a detailed answer later.”
President Joe Biden attacked journalists for breaking the rules by asking questions about topics other than Ukraine during a news conference Thursday at the G7 in Italy
The war in Gaza is a top issue among the US and key allies, and has been raised repeatedly at White House news conferences, including one earlier Thursday.
And Biden’s team had already announced the security deal with Ukraine earlier in the trip.
Biden may have been angry with the previous reporter, who asked him if his son Hunter had been found guilty of being a gun charger by a Delaware jury in federal court.
But even that question was framed as an inquiry into his family’s life and struggles, rather than the most inappropriate aspects of the trial. It came after a series of attempts to shield Biden from questions about his son during the trip.
Biden’s response indicated that it wasn’t a lack of fluency on the issue that forced him to vent.
He noted that the latest plan for a phased ceasefire was supported by the UN Security Council, the G7 and the Israelis.
“The biggest problem so far is that Hamas refuses to sign up, even though they have submitted something similar,” he said, echoing his government’s pressure on Hamas.
Off-script: The president warned reporters for not following the rules after asking off-topic questions. Biden’s presser had a large sign proclaiming a new security deal with Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed his appreciation for the deal and called for unity. He thanked Congress and both parties for a supplemental appropriation that will provide billions in new aid, despite battlefield setbacks for the Russians.
Time is on his side (until the sun sets). Biden let slip one rule of good manners: he was an hour late for his press conference
One war at a time: Biden reprimanded Bloomberg News reporter Josh Wingrove for asking a question about a phased deal that would free hostages and Palestinian prisoners and establish phases intended to bring about a ceasefire in Gaza
The main press ‘rule’ that the media adhered to was a ‘two and two’ format, where the media were asked two questions from each party, from the US and Ukraine.
Biden routinely reprimands reporters who ask multi-part questions as a way to get around the strict restriction.
Despite Biden’s grumbling, the structure of the event was set to suit his interests. It didn’t evolve into a free-for-all.
He was asked a single question about Hunter’s historic trial during the event, while it was going on.
Eventually, follow-up questions were called, and Biden responded with one word: “no,” he would not commute his son’s sentence. (He has previously said and said again on Thursday that he would not pardon him).
There are new mores that the White House has implemented that conflict with the way press events have unfolded in the past. One of these is the use of blaring music at the end of the event, which means that a series of shouted questions are not captured on video as the president leaves, and may even prevent him from hearing them.
Another is the tactic of having White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre use a microphone to announce an end to the event. Jean-Pierre took a microphone on Thursday as the press conference neared its predetermined end.
Biden again carried a card with the two predetermined reporters he would call to the event.
The White House Correspondents’ Association has issued a rare statement in response to Biden’s claim of a rule violation.
“While the White House determines how many reporters the President will recognize, it is up to professional journalists to decide what to charge,” the statement said.
“Each leader may prefer that reporters ask only one question or only on a topic of most interest to the president or other world leader, but a free press functions independently,” the WHCA said.
The issue the White House wanted to focus on was made clear with a large poster between the president and Zelenskiy: UNITED STATES-UKRAINE BILATERAL SECURITY AGREEMENT.”
The agreement, which the two men signed early on, commits the U.S. to supporting the country for years to come — although as a non-treaty it would not bind a future U.S. administration. Nevertheless, it is a policy that could put pressure on Donald Trump to stay the course if he were to defeat Biden and regain the White House. (Trump has said he would end the war in one day if elected, without saying how).
Biden deviated from a predetermined part of the program: the start time. He came out almost exactly an hour after the announced 7:45 PM start. That had the effect of undermining his vanguard team, which had chosen an attractive backdrop of olive trees in the grounds of the luxury hotel where he is staying.
Many of the photos photographers took of the event showed a dark background. His comments were also interrupted at one point by a loud helicopter flying overhead.
Biden also welcomed a separate deal that would see him rely on proceeds from seized Russian assets to provide Ukraine with $50 billion.
But he used language to indicate that the details had not yet been fully worked out. The administration has said the U.S. would borrow up to $50 billion, but other unnamed countries would also go a step further. The loans would be backed by interest on the seized assets, which total about $300 billion.
Biden said it would “put that money to work for Ukraine” and “prove that we are not backing down.”