President Biden was roasted on Wednesday after a photographer snapped a picture of Biden’s notes during a press conference that showed that he had a heads-up on what a reporter was going to ask.
Biden spoke alongside South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in the White House rose garden, a photographer captured a small cheat-sheet in the president’s hand signaling he had advanced knowledge of a question from LA Times journalist Courtney Subramanian. The small paper also included a picture of the reporter along with the pronunciation breakdown of her last name. “Question #1” was handwritten at the top of the sheet, indicating the president should call on her first at the conclusion of his remarks.
“How are YOU squaring YOUR domestic priorities — like reshoring semiconductors manufacturing — with alliance-based foreign policy?” read the question in Biden’s hand.
When the reporter, who was called on first, asked her question, she said, “Your top economic priority has been to build up U.S. domestic manufacturing in competition with China, but your rules against expanding chip manufacturing in China is hurting South Korean companies that rely heavily on Beijing. Are you damaging a key ally in the competition with China to help your domestic politics ahead of the election?”
Biden and the reporter received condemnation for appearing to work together by giving the president advanced notice on which questions will be asked.
“The LA Times needs to investigate this. No WH reporter would ever tell me what question they intended to ask POTUS. It would be unethical – not to mention soft – to do so,” former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer tweeted. “The Times and this reporter have explaining to do.”
