White House national security spokesman John Kirby drew widespread derision after he called President Biden’s upcoming press conferences “adult press conferences.”
Kirby made the remarks while discussing the president’s upcoming plans.
“We’re going to call this a grown-up press conference and we’re going to take some questions from you guys,” Kirby told reporters.
It’s unclear what a “big boy” style press conference would look like, or whether it would mean Biden avoiding the use of cheat sheets or pre-arranged calls on reporters.
Critics say that belittling the press conference with such language is “Humiliating“It sets the bar so low for the president and downplays the damage this administration has done to the country over the past few years.”
The phrase “Big Boy” has been trending on social media.
Just how bad is the situation in the White House?
John Kirby said Biden plans to hold a “grown-up press conference” this week.
This is bad. Really, really bad.pic.twitter.com/RaZHh7Okyk
— Kyle Becker (@kylenabecker) July 8, 2024
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Biden’s “Big Boy” Press Conference
Prior to Kirby’s announcement, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre also used the term to describe the upcoming press conference.
She said President Biden plans to hold “a press conference, a grown-up press conference” at the White House.
To be fair, Biden’s aides didn’t originally come up with the term, and a reporter asked last week whether the press conference Biden was planning would be “a grown-up press conference like we’re used to.”
That being said, I have a few thoughts. One is, when did he get used to holding professional press conferences? This guy hasn’t fought the media, at any level, like his predecessor.
Second, how embarrassing is it to think that the President’s declining cognitive abilities and the concerns of foreign leaders and the American public about them are just one big joke?
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Talk of President Biden holding a “big boy” press conference is reminiscent of First Lady Jill Biden’s infantilizing of her husband after his disastrous performance in the debate.
“Joe, you did a really good job. You answered all the questions. You had all the facts,” Mrs. Biden said. Shouted to the president He continued to stare blankly at the sky.
It was like a kid reading a Dick and Jane book.
This is all ridiculous, but what’s even more ridiculous is that immediately after Kirby mentioned the “big boy” press conference, he claimed the president is a very smart guy.
“All I can say is that what we saw in that debate, in terms of the specificity of how he probed his questions, is not reflective of the person, the leader, the commander in chief that I’ve spent many hours with over the last two and a half years,” Kirby said.
“Just this morning he asked me a question about the situation on the continent that I couldn’t answer, so I told him I had to get back to him.”
In other words, what you see with your own eyes is different to what his entourage sees in those secret behind-the-scenes moments. Would you believe that for a second?
