Jean-Pierre: Biden's Shouted Questions Are 'Unprecedented'; Reporters: 'No, No, No, No' (April 10, 2023)

Pressed on why President Joe Biden had gone months without a formal news conference, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre made a bold claim. “It is also unprecedented that a President takes as many shouted questions as this President has. And he has,” she said [1].

The press corps groaned. “No,” one reporter said. “No, no, no, no,” said another. A third added: “I covered the last administration, and I’ll tell you: Almost every day, up until — the November 2020 election, Donald Trump took questions practically every day” [1].

“We’ll certainly — we’ll certainly get the data and share that with all of you,” Jean-Pierre answered [1]. The data, kept by the American Presidency Project, shows Trump took far more questions [2].

The video above shows the exchange from the April 10, 2023, White House briefing, the day before Biden left on a four-day trip to Northern Ireland and Ireland. Quotes are from the official transcript published by the American Presidency Project [1].

”Is the Administration Trying to Protect the President?”

The reporter who started it laid out the problem plainly. “I represent a news organization that owns 113 television stations. And a question that I’m often asked — and I don’t know the answer to, so I’ll ask you that question: Is the administration trying to protect the President from our questions?” [1]

“Absolutely not. Absolutely not,” Jean-Pierre said [1].

“Then why the lack of any interaction in a formal setting to have a press conference?” the reporter asked. “I mean, the President takes shouted questions,” she said. “In a formal — in a formal setting,” the reporter repeated [1].

“I have dealt with this question about three times already,” Jean-Pierre said. “When it comes to a formal press conference, I don’t have anything to share with you at this time” [1].

”This Is Not the Norm”

The reporter tried once more. “You recognize that as it relates to prior administrations, the President’s predecessor, President Obama, President George W. Bush — I’ve been here long enough to have covered President Bill Clinton — this is not the norm,” the reporter said. “The norm is we do get an opportunity, ask the questions to the President about domestic and foreign policy issues in a formal setting at some point, and you choose that point. But we haven’t had that opportunity in quite some time” [1].

That is when Jean-Pierre called the shouted questions “unprecedented,” and the room pushed back [1].

No News Conference Abroad

Earlier in the briefing, other reporters had asked about the trip itself. “It’s a four-day trip to two countries. You know, why can’t the President take questions from the press?” one asked [1].

“Right now, we just don’t have anything on the books for a press conference at this moment. The President always loves to take your questions — shouted questions,” Jean-Pierre said. Later she was firmer: a standalone press conference “is not happening on this trip” [1].

Another reporter asked whether that was the White House’s call alone, or whether the Irish government had a say. “I mean, if it’s the press conference that the President is leading on his own, yes, it’s a standalone — that’s why I said a standalone press conference that is not happening on this trip,” Jean-Pierre said [1].

“I — I’m just not hearing a reason why you’re not having one then,” the reporter said [1].

“I’m just saying, at this time, we do not have a press conference — a standalone press conference for this President. I know — I know that it is of interest. I’m just giving you the answer on that,” she replied [1].

What the Data Shows

The American Presidency Project, which tracks every presidential news conference and every informal exchange with reporters, tells a different story than the podium did [2].

Shouted questions. The project counted 490 informal exchanges with reporters for Biden over four years, about 123 a year. Trump logged 710 in his first term, about 178 a year. In 2023, the year of this briefing, Biden had 109 such exchanges; Trump had 181 in 2018 and 221 in 2019 [2].

Formal news conferences. Biden held 37 in four years, 14 of them regular solo conferences, about nine a year overall. Trump held 88 in his first term, 44 of them solo, or 22 a year. In all of 2023, Biden held three regular solo news conferences [2].

By the Numbers

113: TV stations owned by the reporter’s company, as the reporter put it [1].
490 vs. 710: informal exchanges with reporters, Biden’s four years against Trump’s first term [2].
109: Biden’s exchanges with reporters in 2023 [2].
3: Biden’s regular solo news conferences in 2023 [2].
37 vs. 88: total news conferences, Biden against Trump’s first term [2].

What Happened Next

Biden joked about it. Less than three weeks later, at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, Biden said the night summed up his first two years in office: “I’ll talk for 10 minutes, take zero questions, and cheerfully walk away” [3]. HYGO News covered that speech in its page on the dinner.

His last year was quieter still. In the final stretch of his term, from 2024 into January 2025, the project counted no regular solo news conferences, one prime-time conference and three joint ones, plus 98 exchanges with reporters [2].

Trump took the questions. In the first 1.67 years of his second term, Trump logged 457 exchanges with reporters, nearly matching Biden’s four-year total, and held 19 news conferences [2].

More of Jean-Pierre’s answers checked against the record are on HYGO News’ Karine Jean-Pierre record page.