Biden’s anger at unfavorable PRESS coverage: President believes focus is too much on horrific polls and ‘sensationalized’ for clicks – after telling media he was joking about thinking ‘there’s a fire’ ‘ when people are standing when he enters a room
- President Joe Biden recently expressed displeasure to reporters traveling with him at what he sees as the “quality and tone of press coverage.”
- On Wednesday, Politico reported on a confidential conversation Biden had with reporters aboard Air Force One
- He said reporters were too focused on his low poll numbers rather than the country’s economic recovery
- Biden’s frustration was evident in comments he made during his trip to Los Angeles for this week’s Summit of the Americas
- “Press, that was a joke. That was a joke,” Biden said after telling CEOS, “I’ve only been president for a year and a half, but every time I walk into a room and everyone stands up, I think there might be a fire or something.”
- He told Jimmy Kimmel on Wednesday that “even the really good reporters” try to get “clicks” — so everything gets “sensationalized.”
President Joe Biden recently expressed his displeasure to reporters traveling with him at what he sees as the “quality and tenor of press coverage” that focused too much on his low poll numbers rather than the country’s economic recovery.
On Wednesday, Politico reported on a confidential conversation Biden had with reporters aboard Air Force One as he traveled west, where he expressed those frustrations.
But they also showed up in comments he made during his trip to Los Angeles for this week’s Summit of the Americas.
On Thursday, he called on the press for taking him too literally and too seriously – after speaking about how “sensational” Wednesday night’s coverage with presenter Jimmy Kimmel has become.
“I’ve only been president for a year and a half, but every time I walk into a room and everyone stands up, I think maybe there’s a fire or something,” he told a roomful. CEOs kicking off day two at the North, Central and South American Executive Conference.
“Press, that was a joke,” he said. ‘That was a joke.’
President Joe Biden (left) has complained about his press coverage. During an interview with Jimmy Kimmel (right) on Wednesday, he told the presenter: “Even the really good reporters try to get clicks to make everything ‘sensational’.
“Press, that was a joke. That was a joke,” President Joe Biden told reporters Thursday after telling an audience of CEOS, “I’ve only been president for a year and a half, but every time I walk into a room and everyone stands up, I think that it’s possible it’s a fire or something’
During his Wednesday night appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, which he pretaped upon arriving in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Biden also spoke about the media treatment.
“Look how the press has changed,” Biden told Kimmel.
“With notable exceptions, even the really good reporters need to get a number of clicks on the evening news. So instead of asking a question, everything is going to be sensationalized anyway,” the president added. “But I am convinced that we will get through this.”
Kimmel expressed his own frustration with how things were going and asked Biden why it was so difficult to make progress on issues like gun control, climate change and abortion rights.
“What a terrible job you have,” the late-night show host told the president. “I’m glad you do. But, boy, does that look like a bad performance?
Kimmel asked Biden to “start yelling at people.”
Biden’s performance with Kimmel capped off two weeks of using pop culture figures to round out his message.
On May 31, K-pop band BTS held court in the press conference room and then spent time with the President to denounce the anti-Asian hate crime tide that has been rising during the coronavirus pandemic.
And then actor Matthew McConaughey delivered a message to lawmakers Tuesday from the White House podium to tighten gun laws after spending days with the families of victims of the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas.
McConaughey grew up in the Texas town.
At the same time, Biden has refrained from more typical meetings with the press.
There is no press conference this week to mark the conclusion of the Americas summit.
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan pushed back when a reporter aboard Air Force One Wednesday asked what he was saying about democracy and the White House’s commitment to press freedom by not scheduling a formal Q&A with the president.
“I think it would be hard to argue that he didn’t answer a lot, a lot of questions from the press,” Sullivan said. “He will obviously face and address the press in a variety of ways over the next three days.”
“And I think, in the end, you can be pretty confident that he’s going to show — fully display — America’s raw democracy and all of its wonderful and attractive forms,” Sullivan continued. “I don’t see the nature of the formal press conference as a special litmus test.”
As of Thursday afternoon, Biden had taken just one question from reporters, and when asked if he was concerned some leaders had boycotted the US-hosted summit over his refusal to invite three authoritarian leaders from the Western Hemisphere, he replied “no” when asked .