US President Joe Biden, who is frequently ridiculed for his verbal gaffes, had his first solo press conference as US president in late March, with some observers…
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, speaking to David Axelrod on his podcast “Axe Files” on Thursday, revealed that the US president’s communications team has recommended that he not take impromptu questions from reporters. According to Psaki, Biden takes questions “nearly every day that he’s out in front of the press.” Particularly, Axelrod and Psaki recalled an incident when Biden was questioned by a CNN reporter, Kaitlan Collins, in a White House hallway, asking him whether an increase in the minimum wage to $15 would be included in the new coronavirus relief package signed into law in March. The podcast host suggested that Biden’s “honest” answer, that he didn’t think the bill would include the minimum pay boost, may have given Psaki “a lot of heartburn” and made her question “why are we allowing him to roll around the hallways doing impromptu interviews”.
