Today at 5:30 pm eastern President Joe Biden will take questions from the White House press corps, his first solo press conference since last November.
My prediction: It will get ugly.
Here’s why.
The White House press corps was already frustrated about their lack of access to Biden before last month’s debate.
As Axios noted last week, Biden has done far fewer media interviews and press conferences than the previous 6 men who held the office.
That lack of attention paid to the media is now compounded by the fact that the press corps feels as though Biden and his top aides deceived them (at best!) when it came to the president’s age and health.
For the past 18 months, the White House was dismissive of media questions about whether Biden was too old to be president. He was fine, his aides insisted — and shamed any reporter who dared ask.
Then the debate happened. And it was clear that Biden was not, in fact, fine.
Then then’s Biden — and his view of the media.
Even before his debate performance, he has been disdainful of the press. He has complained that there are no editors anymore. That the media is chasing clicks rather than focusing on what really matters to people. That they have never given him the respect that he deserves.
Combine an angry and frustrated press corps with a chip-on-his-shoulder president in a high stakes moment with his legacy on the line? It’s going to be must-see TV.
All that and more in today’s edition of The Morning. This is always a free post. But I hope you consider showing your support for this sort of work by becoming a paid subscriber. It’s $6 a month or $60 for the year.
The Morning: The Biden press conference could get ugly