Some frustrated members of the press reportedly tried to hold up messages on a pad of paper as President Biden boarded his plane at one point during the his trip across Brazil and Peru over the past week.
The Washington Post reported the president was avoiding reporters as he neared the end of his term, detailing his trip to Brazil, where, according to the outlet, at one point reporters’ questions were drowned out by maracas.
Reporters even held up signs with one-word questions on them as Biden got on and off Air Force One, in the hopes the president would speak about his meeting with China’s Xi Jinping, or the president’s decision to authorize Ukraine’s military to use U.S.-provided long-range missiles on targets inside Russian territory.
“Xi?” one of the signs said. Another read, “Ukraine??”
PRESIDENT BIDEN SMILES, IGNORES PRESS SHOUTING QUESTIONS FOR A FULL MINUTE AT WHITE HOUSE EVENT
Biden finished up his trip to Brazil on Tuesday, where he attended the G-20 summit and met with world leaders, including Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.
Video shows that as Biden prepared to board Air Force One, an unidentified reporter tried to grab his attention. She can be heard yelling at the top of her lungs to break through the noise created by Biden’s Boeing 747 plane. It is not clear if Biden ignored her or if he could not hear her questions.
“Mr. President, happy early birthday! For your birthday, will you talk to us, sir?” the reporter said, her voice growing louder with each attempt to ask questions. “As a gift to the press, will you please talk to us? Mr. President! President Biden, please! We haven’t heard from you all trip!”
Biden has not said much about the results of what he repeatedly said was a consequential election. He welcomed President-elect Donald Trump to the White House last month for a cordial meeting after a grueling campaign.
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Andrew Bates, the senior deputy White House press secretary, touted the president’s appearances with the press over his last year in office in a statement to the Post.
“President Biden engages with the press extensively — including through over 630 Q&As in office and over 50 interviews this year — as he leads the most transparent administration in American history,” he said.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked during the plane ride back to Washington why Biden didn’t address reporters during the trip.
“He often — regularly takes questions from all of you, and he is going to continue to engage with the press,” she said. “And so, what I would say is, stay tuned.”
Fox News’ Chris Pandolfo contributed to this report.
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