March 11 marks President Joe Biden’s fiftieth day in office.
The first days of the new administration produced numerous landmark policy shifts — from the passage of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan to the “For The People Act.”
However, while the Biden administration has pushed ahead with implementing their progressive agenda, they have rarely granted journalists an opportunity to ask the President about what’s being implemented. After 50 days in office, President Biden has yet to hold a press conference, something every President in the last 100 years has done by this point in their first term.
Instead, after President Biden and Vice President Harris offer public remarks, members of the media resort to shouting their questions at the leaders of the free world as they exit the venue, often with little response.
Here are four questions that the new President and Vice President refuse to answer.
Presidential press conference
Following a March 10 event with leading pharmaceutical executives, President Biden chose to ignore inquiries from journalists.
After having held 0 press conferences since taking office, Biden ignores question about when he will hold a press conference https://t.co/eCvAOjehTZ pic.twitter.com/kBSf3ZJbjw
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) March 10, 2021
“Mr. President, when will you do a press conference?” asked one reporter, referencing the fact that Biden has yet to address the media in a formal manner.
As Fox News reports, President Trump waited 28 days into his administration to hold a press conference, former President Obama waited 21 days, and former President George W. Bush waited 34 days.
“It is extraordinary, but predictable,” remarked former Trump White House Press Secretary and Fox News analyst Kayleigh McEnany. “I remember I warned reporters, in a joking way, when it was clear Biden was the incoming president, they should get used to the feeling of not seeing a president regularly.”
Recalling that reporters would often ask about their next chance to grill President Trump with questions, McEnany noticed a glaring double standard.
“Trump was absent and it was shell shock,” McEnany said. “The media got so used to access and regular access and press conferences.”
Referring to candidate Biden’s failure to answer media questions throughout the 2020 election cycle, McEnany quipped that “if history was any indicator, the basement strategy would continue, just not in the basement, in the Oval.”
The editorial board of The Washington Post — a left-leaning legacy media outlet — published an op-ed pleading with the Commander-in-Chief to host a press conference. Nevertheless, within a few sentences, the publication began to praise Biden for showing “galaxies more respect for the free press and the people’s right to know than his predecessor did.”
Crisis at the Southern border
“Is there a crisis at the border, sir?” asked a reporter at the same event on Wednesday. Her question was likewise ignored.
The Biden administration has presided over a massive swell in illegal immigration. According to last month’s report from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, over 100,000 migrants — the highest total for the month of February in fifteen years — were detained while crossing the southern border.
President Biden’s campaign platform supported several policies that loosened the Trump administration’s border security strategy, including the end of “Trump’s detrimental asylum policies,” “expansion of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program,” and conclusion of “the so-called National Emergency that siphons federal dollars from the Department of Defense to build a wall.”
Foreign officials — including Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador — are less than enthused by Biden’s new approach.
“They see him as the migrant president, and so many feel they’re going to reach the United States,” he recently commented in reference to Biden. “We need to work together to regulate the flow, because this business can’t be tackled from one day to the next.”
Cuomo Sexual Misconduct
After Vice President Harris made remarks about the passage of the American Rescue Plan, she disregarded a question about New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-NY) — a leading Democrat facing sexual harassment allegations.
“Madam Vice President, do you have any comment on Governor Cuomo?” asked a reporter as Harris walked away.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki recently made summative remarks on the Biden administration’s posture toward sexual misconduct, but she refused to answer whether Biden or Harris would make public comments about Gov. Cuomo.
As Fox News reporter Kristen Fisher pointed out to Psaki, “Vice President Kamala Harris was one of the most vocal critics of Justice Brett Kavanaugh, of Senator Al Franken, when they faced similar allegations. She said repeatedly, ‘I believe them, the women,’ but she hasn’t said anything about the three women who are accusing Governor Andrew Cuomo.”
“So at what point is the first female vice president going to say something about this?” asked Fisher.
“Well, I know that’s how the vice president continues to feel and the benefit of doing a briefing every day is that I can certainly speak on behalf of the president and the vice president,” responded Psaki. “And so let me reiterate that they both believe that every woman coming forward should be heard, should be treated with dignity, and treated with respect. As you all know, the New York Attorney General will oversee an independent investigation with subpoena power and the governor’s office said he will fully cooperate, and we certainly support that moving forward.”
When Fisher asked Psaki if the American people would hear from the President or Vice President on the matter, Psaki responded that she represents them both and “that’s the representation of their points.”
Keystone Pipeline Layoffs
After President Biden delivered remarks on January 27, he neglected to answer questions about the effects of his climate change executive orders upon American workers.
“Sir, what sacrifices are you asking Americans to make?” inquired one reporter about the orders as Biden and Harris left the podium.
Hours after his inauguration, President Biden signed a measure revoking the Keystone XL pipeline’s permit, declaring that the project “would not serve the U.S. national interest.” The same measure promised that the United States would “prioritize the development of a clean energy economy, which will in turn create good jobs.”
In another exchange with Psaki, Fox News reporter Peter Doocy asked “when it is and where” that thousands of fossil fuel industry workers affected by the order could “go for their green jobs.”
“President Biden has proposed a climate plan with transformative investments and infrastructure. And laid out a plan that would not only create millions of good union jobs but also help tackle the climate crisis,” Psaki retorted, adding that Biden “talked about his plans to also put forward a jobs plan in the weeks or months following.”
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.