Media Gives President Biden A New Nickname – For Not Delivering On His Promise Of Transparency, He’s “Hidin’ Biden”
President Joe Biden probably hoped for a better first year. But with the ongoing pandemic, border crisis, Afghanistan fiasco, and surging inflation, 2021 resulted in historically low approval ratings.
It hasn’t helped that POTUS has been largely unavailable to the media and public. When compared to any of his 5 predecessors, Biden fails the transparency litmus test.
And now, the Commander-in-Chief has a new nickname — one he definitely won’t appreciate.
Mainstream media sources have complained about Biden’s lack of visibility during his first year in the Oval Office. White House reporters filed an official complaint on the matter.
Biden simply hasn’t given very many press conferences and when he does, journalists are often frustrated with the lack of responses from the President.
If it seemed like POTUS hasn’t been in front of cameras anywhere near as much as leaders like Trump and Obama, that’s because it’s true. Biden has been far less forthcoming in this respect.
That’s why he’s now being called “Hidin’ Biden.”
Politico slapped him with the nickname after the following report came out (via the Associated Press):
As Biden wraps up his first year in the White House, he has held fewer news conferences than any of his five immediate predecessors at the same point in their presidencies, and has participated in fewer media interviews than any of his recent predecessors.
The dynamic has the White House facing questions about whether Biden, who vowed to have the most transparent administration in the nation’s history, is falling short in pulling back the curtain on how his administration operates and missing opportunities to explain his agenda.
“Hidin’ Biden” definitely lives up to that nickname if we consider the numbers.
Through December 31, 2021, the President had only given a total of 22 press interviews. In contrast, Obama gave a whopping 156, Trump delivered 92, and Clinton gave 54.
Even both Bushes – George W. at 49 and George H.W. at 46 – granted many more press conferences in D.C. Biden’s 22 interviews includes only 3 print interviews, one appearance on MSNBC, and three CNN town halls.
This all comes after Biden promised to offer the most “transparent administration yet” when he took office last January.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki defended the President’s lack of availability to the press, saying Biden’s schedule was “packed,” and that he might add some “local interviews” in coming weeks.
But to many, that’s simply not enough.
President of the White House Correspondents’ Association Steven Portnoy ripped Biden for refusing to answer questions:
Fleeting exchanges are insufficient to building the historical record of the president’s views on a broad array of public concerns.
We have had scant opportunities in this first year to learn the president’s views on a broad range of public concerns.
The more formal the exchange with the press, the more the public is apt to learn about what’s on the man’s mind.
Portnoy isn’t the only journalist to have voiced his frustration with the administration’s lack of transparency, and Biden’s apparent unwillingness to deal with the media.
It runs counter to the original message the President sent at the start of his tenure. And many citizens believe this reflects poorly on the administration’s leadership, which the majority doesn’t seem to support.
And with so many of the country’s problems continuing into 2022, Biden’s continued evasion of the press probably won’t go over well.
Key Takeaways:
- Mainstream media sources are frustrated with President Joe Biden’s lack of transparency and availability in his first year.
- “Hidin’ Biden” has given far fewer news conferences than any of his 5 predecessors.
- With many major issues still plaguing the nation, this refusal to give conferences and answer questions might cause Biden’s approval to fall even further.