Reporters Grill Jean-Pierre: Why Won’t Pres. Biden Host a Press Conference? ‘This Is Not the Norm’

Reporter: “— and the lack of press conference that we see in general from this White House. I represent a news organization that owns 113 television stations. And a question that I’m often asked — and I don’t know the answer to, so I’ll ask you that question: Is the administration trying to protect the President from our questions? Please answer that question if you could.”
Jean-Pierre: “Absolutely not. Absolutely not.”
Reporter: “Then why the lack of any interaction in a formal setting to have a press conference?”
Jean-Pierre: “I mean, the President takes shouted questions. I —“
Reporter: “In a formal — in a formal setting.”
Jean-Pierre: “I understand. Jon, I understand.”
Reporter: “Yeah. Okay. Yeah.”
Jean-Pierre: “I understand. I have dealt with this question about three times already. I understand it is — it is — it is the job of you all to ask this question to me. Totally get that. And that’s not a problem at all. But certainly, the President many times has — has stan- — has stood in front of all of you, has taken questions on his own, because he wanted to see what was on — on your minds, he wanted to see what the questions you all were going to ask him, and he wanted to answer them directly. That has happened multiple times — many times during this administration. And that will certainly continue to be. When it comes to a formal press conference, I don’t have anything to share with you at this time.”
Reporter: “You recognize — just one last thing.”
Jean-Pierre: “Yeah, sure.”
Reporter: “Just to button it up. You recognize that as it relates to prior administrations, the President’s predecessor, President Obama, President George W. Bush — I’ve been here long enough to have covered President Bill Clinton — this is not the norm. The norm is we do get an opportunity, ask the questions to the President about domestic and foreign policy issues in a formal setting at some point, and you choose that point. But we haven’t had that opportunity in quite some time.”
Jean-Pierre: “So I’ll say this: It is also unprecedented that a President takes as many shouted questions as this President has. And he has.”
Reporter 2: “No.”
Reporter 3: “No, no, no, no.”
Reporter: “I covered the last administration, and I’ll tell you: Almost every day, up until —“
Jean-Pierre: “Okay, well, we’ll get —“
Reporter: “— the November 2020 election, Donald Trump took questions practically every day.”
Jean-Pierre: “We’ll certainly — we’ll certainly get the data and share that with all of you. I hear — Jon —“
Reporter: “Yes.”
Jean-Pierre: “— I hear your question. I heard Zeke’s question. I hear you. I hear you on the press conference — on a formal press conference. We get this probably every couple of months when you guys ask us about a formal press conference. I don’t have anything to share with all of you at this time. And — and I’ll just — I’ll just leave it there.”