(Presidentialwire.com)- The White House will not explain why President Joe Biden has a “list” of reporters to call on, according to a report by The Daily Caller. The president held his first major press conference since January and after giving a speech on the midterm elections, he called on selected reporters from a list, something not unconventional in his presidency thus far.
Before Biden calls on anyone, he explicitly stated that he had been given a “list of 10 people that I’m supposed to call on and you’re all supposed to ask me one question,” adding that they will probably ask him more than one.
The reporters were allegedly handpicked from the Associated Press, CBS, CNN, Reuters, ABC Radio, TheGrio, Bloomberg, NBC News, and The New York Times. Each of the reporters representing these outlets asked the president numerous questions, while the room of 100 other journalists was not allowed to be called on.
https://twitter.com/PhilipWegmann/status/1590450518341849091?s=20&t=aa9qOX5B1eUhJNQC3pwJcw
The Daily Caller asked Olivia Dalton, White House principal deputy press secretary, why Biden is not allowed to call on other reporters in the room and what is the criteria for being put on the list.
“Eh, not sharing. I don’t have anything to share with you on that,” Dalton responded.
This is not the only odd occurrence during Biden’s first term. The first lady has reportedly exerted her influence on the president lately. During a briefing in October, First Lady Jill Biden reportedly went up to White House staff and demanded to know why the president was allowed to speak for two hours.
Biden’s list, presumably given to him by members of staff, is not the only piece of paper he attends conferences with. He was photographed last summer with a sheet instructing him how to act, who to talk to, and when.
A photographer, named Drew Angerer, snapped the photo that he captioned “Biden’s cue card.” The card instructed him to say hello to participants, when to sit down, who to ask questions to, and when to conclude the meeting.
