LIMA — President Biden arrived in Peru's capital Thursday evening for the first of two major international conferences with his daughter Ashley and granddaughter Natalie — where journalists protested the increasingly insignificant lame-duck leader's lack of scheduled press availability during the week-long trip.
Biden, 81, did not speak to reporters upon his arrival on his first official trip to South America – where he will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping and other world leaders at the APEC and G20 summits – after reporters attacked White House press secretary Karen Gunn. Pierre on Air Force One.
“Biden wants to connect with leaders. He does not choose to deal with the press. There is no press conference on either leg of this trip. It remains a matter of days. I mean, what's the problem? A journalist vents during a live journalistic gag.
“He will continue to deal with the press,” Jean-Pierre replied before making a cheesy deflection. “What I would say is, stay tuned. He will continue to do this, and I don't have anything more to do than that.
Then another journalist turned to Biden — who is increasingly out of sight as President-elect Donald Trump dominates the news cycle with unorthodox Cabinet picks after a campaign in which Biden claimed the Republican would dismantle democracy and rule like a fascist.
The second journalist wondered whether Biden, who abandoned his re-election bid and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris amid a Democratic revolt over his mental acuity, was staying out of the spotlight because he was in no position to offer compelling words for public consumption. .
“Post-election press conferences in most administrations have been a set piece. Does that say something about where his head is, that it's not even a good place to deal with us? a wire reporter inquired.
“Presidents usually deal with the press,” the reporter said.
“He will continue to deal with the press,” Jean-Pierre reiterated. “He respects and understands – clearly – the importance of the work that you all do, especially in terms of outreach and direct communication with the American people.”
A third journalist spoke in a sharp tone, saying: “Can you commit that he will talk to us through this?” [the trip]? Karen, this is a long and expensive trip to our ports!”
The outgoing press secretary laughed before answering: “I understand.”
“I'm just saying that he will continue to deal with the press. I don't have anything beyond that to say that he will continue to deal with you,” Jean-Pierre continued.
“He respects and understands the important role you all play, and we will continue to do so,” he added. You're trying to trap me into something. I'm just not going to lock anything in for a bit.
Although he admits to being a fan of journalistic engagement, Biden's four-year term included no interviews with newspaper reporters from major dailies, and his media staff sparked a revolt in the press corps over an arcane new pre-screening process for journalists allowed within earshot of the president.
The Biden White House also became the first to formalize rules for snatching press badges for reporters, and has seen far fewer press conferences than its predecessors.
Biden's South American tour will first include four days in Peru, where he will participate in talks with leaders of the 21-nation Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Organization, and culminate in a meeting on Saturday with Xi, where he is expected to tout the decline in the amount of fentanyl this year. The deaths, even though nearly 300,000 Americans have died from the drug largely sourced from China since Biden took office.
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The retired president, who leaves office on January 20, is scheduled to visit the Amazon rainforest in Manaus, Brazil, before arriving on Sunday in Rio de Janeiro to attend the annual G20 summit of leaders of the world's most economically successful countries.
Biden's trip attracted a smaller press crowd than some other foreign presidential trips, in part because of the presidential transition period, when fewer than 60 journalists, including television support staff, registered to seek APEC credentials through the White House.
