Reporters were heard pleading with President Joe Biden to answer questions as an early birthday present after his visit to the G20 summit.
As Biden boarded Air Force One on his way from the summit on Tuesday, reporters yelled at him and demanded questions since he had only been out of the country once. (Related: Forget about basement campaigns — the presidency was a complete basement for Joe Biden)
“Mr. President, happy early birthday. On your birthday, would you like to speak to us? As a gift to the press, would you mind speaking to us? Mr. President. President Biden. “Please, we haven't heard from you, Mr. President!'' reporters can be heard shouting to the president, who turns 82 on Wednesday.
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Mr. Biden largely ignored reporters during his trip, but on Saturday he took one question about how he would discuss North Korea with Mr. Xi.
The president responded, “Peacefully.”
While attending the G20 summit, Biden missed his final “family photo” with all the world leaders in attendance on Monday due to logistical issues.
“Due to logistical issues, we took photos early before all the leaders arrived,” a senior official who spoke candidly about the situation on condition of anonymity told reporters after the chaos. The official added that the president was not intentionally avoiding photos with Russian diplomat Sergei Viktorovich Lavrov, and that the situation was purely logistical.
Biden also attended the summit on Monday out of view of the press due to “national security” concerns, officials told reporters. The official added that other world leaders have used this entrance as well.
With less than two months until the end of the year, the White House has yet to reveal plans for its traditional year-end news conference. The president has historically avoided participating in the press, and in 2023 he skipped a traditional news conference.
Earlier this year, Mr. Biden shocked reporters with his first appearance in the James S. Brady Press Conference Room. The president took questions for about 15 minutes, and White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called on reporters to support Biden.
“Do you want to reconsider withdrawing from the race?” a reporter asked the president as he left the briefing room.
As reporters laughed, he replied, “I'm back.”
