OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
CNN’s Alisyn Camerota questioned her guests on Friday on the significance of President Joe Biden fielding questions for the first time in his term in the White House Briefing Room.
“Gentlemen, great to see you, Brian. Just about that. This is the first time President Biden has gone into the press briefing room and taken questions. Why now? Why today?” Camerota asked CNN media analyst Brian Stelter.
“Yeah, I’m texting with some of his former press secretaries and aides, and they’re a bit surprised by it as well, Alisyn. You know, of course, journalists want to see this. We’re happy to see this. But it is true. It is, according to the White House, the first time that Biden has gone into the briefing room and surprised reporters in this way,” Stelter replied.
“I can’t help but think about the headline from Axios this morning. Axios, one of those influential Washington sites, their morning newsletter, had an item called the Disappearing Bidens, pointing out that since Joe Biden exited the presidential race, he has been relatively, I won’t say invisible, but he has been off the trail. He has not been doing as many public events. He’s not been doing many interviews. That item landed this morning about two hours before the jobs report,” Stelter continued.
Stelter added, “So, I can’t help but wonder if that factored into this as well — his sudden appearance in the briefing room. And I’m glad you mentioned that comment that he made about the Republicans claiming the numbers are fake because that is something we continue to see from Trump and his allies, a rejection of data and facts. And Biden is clearly noticing that. He is maybe watching the news coverage. He is perceiving what’s happening and he’s speaking out against it very publicly today.”
Anchor Boris Sanchez followed up, “Yeah, it’s something that we’ve seen sort of ferment on social media when in previous months jobs numbers have been revised down. And Republicans are pointing to that to say, the numbers are fake. Jobs numbers were revised down multiple times during the Trump administration.”
“So make of that what you will. Frank, from a communications standpoint, I do have a note and I’m curious what you think about this. We were actually about to go live to Vice President Kamala Harris, who’s speaking right now in Detroit, Michigan. And apparently she’s talking about this port strike ending. She’s trying to appeal to union workers. And yet you have the president of the United States come out, clearly overshadowing her, answering significant questions. Is that a communications mistake? Is the left hand not talking to the right hand in this situation?” Sanchez asked GOP pollster Frank Luntz.
“That’s a very good point. And if they were coordinated, as you assume they would be, this would not have happened. But in the end, it’s good news. And presidents want to be surrounded and want to be available and want to be engaged when the news is good and they want to be as far away as possible when the news is bad. The key about this is that Biden economy is stronger than Trump acknowledges,” Luntz replied.
Luntz added: “The economy is actually stronger than what most voters actually perceive, and that’s because the economy tends to be a lagging indicator. They don’t feel positive about it for months after the numbers turn around. So what Biden is trying to say right now is pay attention. Employment is up. Inflation is down. I kept my promises. So the timing is perfect for him, frankly.”
“Harris should have just delayed to give Biden the chance to have the spotlight. And one more thing. I can’t see the video. I can only hear the voice. And so as I’m listening to him, I’m thinking, wow, he really does sound tired. But I’m also thinking he sounds very pleased. And it’s been a while since we’ve had good news in this country. So that’s exactly what he wants to surround himself with — good news,” Luntz concluded.
WATCH:
JUST IN: White House briefing room descends into chaos as President Biden stands in front of shouting reporters, not knowing who to call on.
Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre jumped in to save Biden as reporters shouted at him, trying to ask questions.
At one point during the… pic.twitter.com/XyC2L73s7R
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) October 4, 2024
