Washington Post attacks Biden as 'afraid' of press conferences: 'The media is not your enemy'

The Washington Post came out against President Biden’s avoidance of the media in a Monday editorial titled "Why is President Biden afraid of news conferences?"

Many reporters have commented on Biden’s hesitance to hold formal press conferences despite previously promising transparency in his administration. As the 2024 presidential election draws nearer, major publications such as the Washington Post began voicing their displeasure at what they considered Biden's fear of the press.

"President Biden hasn’t dropped the microphone; he appears to have lost it. Mr. Biden is turning into a news media evader, and it’s harmful to his presidency and the nation. In the past 100 years, only Presidents Richard M. Nixon and Ronald Reagan averaged fewer news conferences than Mr. Biden," the editorial board acknowledged.

The New York Times reported similar numbers in April, noting that, at the time, Biden had held only 54 interviews in his first two years of office compared to President Trump’s 202 interviews and President Obama’s 275. At one point, Biden went nearly 200 days without being interviewed by an American TV reporter during his administration.

BIDEN’S HISTORIC AVOIDANCE OF FORMAL MEDIA QUESTIONS IRRITATES PRESS: ‘THERE’S A LOT OF FRUSTRATION’ 

The editorial also noted that Biden has taken zero solo press conferences so far in 2023. Any exceptions included "joint" press conferences with visiting world leaders.

"It should not take a visit from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau or South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol for the American public to hear the president answering urgent questions from a free press," the Washington Post admonished.

In addition to avoiding press conferences, Biden has frequently been known to call on predetermined reporters during rare interactions with the media. Most notably, Biden was caught with what appeared to be a cheat sheet of a question from a Los Angeles Times reporter. Biden was also caught with a similar cheat sheet during his first press conference in March 2021.

BIDEN CAUGHT WITH CRIB NOTES DETAILING REPORTER’S QUESTION PRIOR TO CALLING ON HER DURING PRESS CONFERENCE 

The Washington Post concluded its piece imploring the president to hold more conferences with the press to promote more public accountability and instill confidence in his administration.

"Taking questions from the media promotes public accountability. It also shows that the president is willing to defend his positions and instills confidence that he can do the job. It is widely known that Mr. Biden is gaffe-prone and that news conferences are not his forte. But as he runs for a second term, he should be eager to show he can handle all aspects of the job," the editorial board concluded. "Pick up the microphone, Mr. President. The media is not your enemy."

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

On Friday, Biden claimed that he was holding a "major" press conference that day in response to criticisms, despite no press conferences on his schedule that day. It was later clarified that he was referring to an MSNBC interview with Stephanie Ruhle.