Politico raised eyebrows late Monday after publishing an article praising President Biden for a “largely gaffe-free” debut as commander-in-chief, despite the president’s extremely limited availability to the press.
The evening edition of Politico’s Transition Playbook, which bills itself as a “guide to the first 100 days of the Biden administration,” questioned whether the new president, who has a reputation as a “gaffe machine,” has become a “disciplined messenger.”
“Two and a half months in, that’s undoubtedly the case,” Politico answered its own question. “The president so far has surprised some of his former colleagues and allies with a largely gaffe-free White House debut after a lifetime of verbal stumbles.”
As the article itself noted, Biden hasn’t held a formal press conference since taking office and Wednesday’s sitdown on ABC’s “Good Morning America” will only be his second television interview as president.
“Biden’s press availability has been limited — both an attempt to synthesize the comms strategy and an implicit recognition that an extended interview or press conference poses new risks,” Politico later acknowledged.
On Twitter, Politico attempted to summarize its latest playbook entry, writing “Two and a half months in, President Biden has surprised some of his former colleagues and allies with a largely gaffe-free White House debut after a lifetime of verbal stumbles.”
Critics panned that assessment on social media.
“He’s had numerous gaffes!” National Review contributor Pradheep J. Shanker reacted. “Not to mention…thousands of kids thrown into cages. Though, to be fair…I guess that isn’t so much a gaffe as a debacle.”
“Not very hard to do if you don’t talk to the press,” Reagan Batallion tweeted.
“sure sure,” Daily Wire writer Emily Zanotti sarcastically responded.
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There have been growing calls, including from members of the mainstream media, for Biden to hold a formal press conference.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki recently told reporters that the president will hold his first presser by the end of this month.
