Biden Holds His First Solo Press Conference As POTUS

March 25, 2021
President Joe Biden replaces his face mask following an Equal Pay Day event in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on March 24, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
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March 25, 2021

At his first solo press conference Thursday, President Joe Biden faced a battery of questions about immigration, with reporters seemingly picking up on the recent GOP talking points on “Biden’s border crisis.”

He expressed aggravation at one point when a reporter asked him if the deplorable conditions migrant children are living in were “acceptable” to him, incredulously asking if that was a “serious question.”

Biden had been facing some scrutiny for not holding his own press briefing until now, though White House reporters too have been criticized for willingly adopting Republican narratives.

Biden took charge of the briefing at points, using unrelated questions to pivot to his infrastructure initiative and foreign policy experience.

The biggest news out of the presser came when Biden said that it’s his “expectation” that he’ll run for reelection in 2024, and that he “can’t picture” U.S. troops still being in Afghanistan next year.

There were no questions about COVID-19, despite the enduring pandemic, and little mention of gun control, after back-to-back massacres. Biden did get a question specifically related to taking unilateral action on guns, which he said was just a matter of timing before pivoting to infrastructure.

Follow along with the TPM staff below:

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At his first solo press conference Thursday, President Joe Biden faced a battery of questions about immigration, with reporters seemingly picking up on the recent GOP talking points on “Biden’s border crisis.”

He expressed aggravation at one point when a reporter asked him if the deplorable conditions migrant children are living in were “acceptable” to him, incredulously asking if that was a “serious question.”

Biden had been facing some scrutiny for not holding his own press briefing until now, though White House reporters too have been criticized for willingly adopting Republican narratives.

Biden took charge of the briefing at points, using unrelated questions to pivot to his infrastructure initiative and foreign policy experience.

The biggest news out of the presser came when Biden said that it’s his “expectation” that he’ll run for reelection in 2024, and that he “can’t picture” U.S. troops still being in Afghanistan next year.

There were no questions about COVID-19, despite the enduring pandemic, and little mention of gun control, after back-to-back massacres. Biden did get a question specifically related to taking unilateral action on guns, which he said was just a matter of timing before pivoting to infrastructure.

Follow along with the TPM staff below:

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