President Joe Biden will hold his first formal news conference on March 25. White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki announced the date in Darby, Pennsylvania as Biden promoted his $1.9 trillion pandemic stimulus plan in the suburbs of Philadelphia.
The President has drawn criticism for not holding an extended question-and-answer session since taking office. Biden has had a number of brief encounters with reporters since taking office on Jan. 20, but usually only takes one or two questions before walking away. The White House has said that Biden’s attention on the coronavirus pandemic has been the main reason why he has refrained from holding a formal news conference.
Republicans and other critics have called on Biden to appear at an actual news conference as part of the president’s traditional role of being held accountable to the public. They have pointed out that the nearly two-month span since Jan. 20 is the longest period a recent new president has gone without holding a formal news conference.
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