Marc Thiessen: Biden complaining about media is ‘galling’
Fox News contributor Marc Thiessen criticizes President Biden for complaining about the press.
President Biden's frustration at the White House press corps shouting questions at him during public appearances is unfounded, and the dynamic is not at all new, former George W. Bush speechwriter Marc Thiessen told Fox News on Wednesday.
As Biden concluded recent remarks, he appeared to subtly snipe at the assembled press as they shouted questions at him.
"[You're] among the only press in the world that does this," Biden was heard saying quietly.
Thiessen pointed out on "America Reports" Wednesday that a raucous press corps is nothing new at the White House, citing how longtime ABC News correspondent Sam Donaldson became noted for shouting pointed questions at President Reagan.
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ABC's Sam Donaldson is seen on the floor at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C. (AP)
Unlike Biden, Reagan never rebuked Donaldson, Thiessen said, adding he would however at times cup his ear and "pretend he couldn't hear" what the reporter was asking.
"I never heard Ronald Reagan saying that ‘Woe is me, that Sam Donaldson keeps asking me, shouting questions at me’... this has been a feature of the presidency since the television era began," Thiessen said.
During the Trump administration, CNN reporter Jim Acosta regularly became confrontational with the president, who in turn often labeled him "fake news."
Thiessen later added that Biden's complaints are even further unfounded, given his remark that the U.S. press corps is largely alone in shouting questions at their head of state.
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CNN's Jim Acosta was once temporarily banned from the White House after he engaged in a contentious back-and-forth with President Trump during a press conference that included briefly contacting a female White House aide who was attempting to take the microphone. ((REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst) )
The former Bush official pointed out that Chinese President Xi Jinping, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, and Russian President Vladimir Putin do not have the same dynamic with their media because they are all strongmen leaders of largely undemocratic nations.
"The American press corps shouts press questions of the president because we're a free country, and we're allowed to do that," he said.
"For the president, the United States to expect to have the kind of deference that despots get around the world is pretty galling."
Thiessen remarked that Biden would never be able to handle the British media.
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Peter Doocy tries to ask Joe Biden a question, which is ignored, as Biden exits a campaign event in Davenport, IA on January 28, 2020. ((Photo by Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post via Getty Images) )
On a weekly basis, the U.K.'s leader participates in Prime Minister's Questions before the House of Commons, aired on C-SPAN in the U.S.
Most recently, ex-Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Labour opposition leader Keir Starmer regularly traded critiques in the forum, which is mediated by Speaker Lindsay Hoyle.
"Can you imagine if Joe Biden had to go into the well of the Senate and take questions once a week from the from the Republican senators about his policies?" Thiessen asked, predicting such a back-and-forth "would be a massacre" for the president.
Thiessen and other critics have said that Biden does not often make himself available for formal interviews, leading reporters to have to attempt to shoehorn queries during public events.
During an Easter celebration, Biden was notably whisked away mid-question by a person dressed as the Easter Bunny, drawing rebuke from Republicans and others. He has also employed a scripted list of reporters to call on when he does take questions at events.
Biden has also previously expressed frustration with the press, calling Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy a swear term when he tried to have a question answered earlier this year.