After a photo of President Biden clutching a note card with their photographs went viral, it appears that he was once again caught utilizing a cheat sheet of reporters.
On Wednesday, he and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese held a joint press conference and fielded questions from four reporters—two from each country. An photograph purportedly showing the president with a note card containing the reporters’ names and faces began circulating online nearly 24 hours after the press conference.
The names on the list included PBS correspondent Laura Barrón-López, USA Today White House correspondent Joey Garrison, Australia’s Channel 10 Network Political Editor Ashleigh Raper and The Australian’s Jeff Chambers. All four were the reporters who asked questions at the event.Barrón-López had a notable exchange with Biden when he rejected the premise of her question about the implications of the Palestinian death toll, saying he has “no confidence” the numbers from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry are truthful.
A similar note card appeared during a joint press conference with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in April. That cheat sheet had the photo, name and name pronunciation of Los Angeles Times journalist Courtney Subramanian under “Question #1,” along with what appeared to be a pre-written question.
“How are YOU squaring YOUR domestic priorities — like reshoring semiconductors manufacturing — with alliance-based foreign policy?” Biden’s note read.
Subramanian was, in fact, called upon first and asked, “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?”
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment on President Biden’s usage of a note card during Wednesday’s press conference, but did not receive a response. Even when asked whether their questions had been reviewed in advance, the four reporters stayed silent.
During press briefings, Biden is sometimes ridiculed for consulting cheat sheets and note cards. Biden was spotted with a card with facts and talking points to use at his first formal press conference as president in March 2021. Biden was also shown in another shot reviewing a roster of reporters that had been handpicked for him.
