Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre held the 537th press conference of the Biden administration on Thursday, delivering emotional remarks from the stage and acknowledging the role of a free press in a democracy.
Jean-Pierre told reporters gathered in the briefing room that President Biden has held 537 press conferences, 306 of which he personally moderated. No on-camera press conferences are scheduled for Biden in the final days of his term.
“President Joe Biden held the first press conference of this administration on Inauguration Day because he wanted to make clear the importance of daily press conferences and the important role that news organizations play in our democracy,” Jean-Pierre said. he said.
The room was filled with familiar faces from the Biden press room. Former press secretary Jen Psaki took a backseat, as did several former press aides who went on to jobs within and outside the administration.
Jean-Pierre became emotional as she acknowledged former staffers and those still in the newsroom, and talked about spending more time with her daughter. Jean-Pierre will succeed Psaki in May 2022, becoming the first Black person and the first openly LGBTQ person to do so.
Wednesday's questions focused on the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas that was announced in the early afternoon.
President Biden has reinstated the tradition of holding near-daily press conferences after President Trump changed that practice. Former Trump press secretary Stephanie Grisham never held a press conference on camera during her tenure, and her successor, Kayleigh McEnany, held briefings sporadically during the 2020 coronavirus pandemic.
President Trump's next press secretary, Caroline Leavitt, will make history as the youngest person ever to hold the position. She has pondered changing the seating arrangement in the briefing room and allowing access to non-traditional media, but nothing has been finalized.
