White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Thursday addressed controversy over President Joe Biden’s use of a cheat sheet that somehow previewed a reporter’s question.
Asked to explain how Biden got the question in advance, Jean-Pierre said, “It is entirely normal for a president to be briefed on reporters who will be asking questions at a press conference and issues that we expect they might ask about.”
“It is not surprising that yesterday we would anticipate questions that he did receive,” she added. “And of course” Biden’s team would note expected topics to him before taking questions.
Jean-Pierre denied that the White House received specific questions in advance, and suggested the reporter who asked the question Biden was prepared for could “speak for herself.”
During a joint press conference Wednesday with South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol, a photographer captured images of a card Biden was holding that featured a profile of Los Angeles Times reporter Courtney Subramanian along a question: “How are YOU squaring YOUR domestic priorities—like reshoring semiconductors manufacturing—with alliance-based foreign policy?”
When Biden called on Subramanian, she asked a similar question about whether U.S. efforts to boost domestic semiconductor manufacturing are hurting South Korea.
“Your rules against expanding chip manufacturing in China is hurting South Korean companies that rely heavily on Beijing,” Subramanian said. “Are you damaging a key ally in the competition with China to help your domestic politics ahead of the election?”
Biden’s cheat sheet also included a list of his own advisers who attended a preparatory meeting with the president.
The Los Angeles Times said Thursday in a statement: “Our reporter did not submit any questions in advance of the Q&A with President Biden. Courtney Subramanian covers the White House for the Los Angeles Times. As such, she is in regular contact with the White House press office seeking information for her reporting. You would have to ask the White House who prepared the document for the president and why they included that question.”
It’s not the first time Biden has been caught using cheat sheets with reporter information and event instructions. Last June, Biden was photographed holding a card that reminded him to “enter the Roosevelt Room and say hello to participants. YOU take YOUR seat.”
Biden, 80, who announced Tuesday that he is running for reelection, would be 86 years old at the end of a second term. Already the oldest serving president in U.S. history, Biden has faced growing scrutiny of his unsteady public appearances and his limited and stage-managed interactions with the press.
Asked during Wednesday’s press conference about concerns he is too old, Biden said, “I took a hard look at it before I decided to run, and I feel good and excited about the prospects.”
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