Jen Psaki snapped at a reporter after being asked if the press should expect a press conference following President Joe Biden’s ‘three amigos’ summit.
‘You can ask questions in any format, right? I don’t think you need a formal embroidered chair for it,’ Psaki told CBS News Radio correspondent Steven Portnoy, who serves as the president of the White House Correspondents Association, the group that pushes for White House access for journalists.
Portnoy had pointed out that Biden had told reporters at a bill signing Thursday morning, ‘I’ll be happy to answer questions after I meet with all the leaders.’
However, the White House bucked tradition and didn’t schedule a tri-lateral press conference with Biden, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and Mexican President Andrés Manuel, López Obrador, following their late afternoon meeting.
Both Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama held press conferences when they got together with their Canadian and Mexican counterparts.
Instead, reporters could yell questions during what is called ‘pool sprays,’ when a smaller group of journalists comes in for a portion of a meeting.
Leaders can choose to ignore the press or engage.
When Biden does hold a press conference, he’s made it standard practice to call on a pre-set list of reporters.
