White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre defended President Joe Biden on Thursday after images circulated on social media showing the President holding a note card with a reporter’s photo, name pronunciation, and a prepared question during a news conference with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol.
The reporter on the card was identified as Courtney Subramanian from The Los Angeles Times, and the question read, “How are YOU squaring YOUR domestic priorities – like reshoring semiconductors manufacturing – with alliance-based foreign policy?”
At Thursday’s daily briefing, Jean-Pierre addressed Fox News White House correspondent Jacqui Heinrich’s query about the note card incident. Heinrich mentioned that the newspaper denied ever sending the White House a question in advance and questioned why Biden needed a pocket card for potential questions.
Jean-Pierre responded by asserting that it is “normal” for presidents to be briefed on reporters and the issues they may ask about during press conferences. She emphasized that the White House does not receive specific questions in advance and pointed out that the actual question asked during the conference was different from the one on the card.
Throughout his time in office, President Biden has made headlines for calling on specific reporters who appeared to have been selected beforehand.