Staff Reports
The White House press corps is suddenly in a tizzy over their lack of access to President Joe Biden, but let’s not pretend this is a new issue. For much of Biden’s presidency, he has been more elusive than a cat in a room full of rocking chairs. Only now, when they’re feeling the sting of distance, are they deciding to raise a fuss about it. It begs the question: where was this outrage when the president was practically ghosting them for most of his term?
Reporters have have one job: to ask tough questions and hold the president accountable. Yet throughout Biden’s rather cozy time in the Oval Office, they’ve found themselves on the sidelines watching paint dry instead. They seem to have developed a sudden affinity for robust press conferences and in-depth conversations, as if they’ve forgotten that silence was the soundtrack of Biden’s first years. It’s as if they’ve all suddenly awakened from a long nap, grumbling about their missed opportunities to pester the president.
Column's up: After eight years of fake news and cover-ups, the White House Correspondents Association and its members have lost the right to pose as guardians of free speech. https://t.co/0WSgU7uBQE
— Miranda Devine (@mirandadevine) February 27, 2025
It’s amusing to observe the irony. The same press corps that has given the administration a free pass and, at times, acted as its cheerleaders, is now lamenting its lack of engagement. Maybe they could’ve gotten their act together a little sooner and brought forward their almighty concerns while Joe was busy fumbling through speeches or avoiding tough questions. Looking back, it seems a little disingenuous to throw a fit over access now, given how much time they seemed to spend twiddling their thumbs.
The Biden administration must be chuckling behind closed doors at the hypocrisy. This is the same media that had no qualms participating in the biggest game of “hide and seek” the press has seen since the days of pressing their lips to the feet of previous administrations. They know where to find the president; they just chose to look away when he was dodging them for weeks on end. Now that the silence has turned into crickets, they’re suddenly all for accountability.
As the White House press corps stumbles over their concerns about access, one can’t help but wonder if it’s too little too late. The administration may have perfected the art of invisibility, but one can hardly blame them for leaving the press in the dark when they’ve been so compliant. If the correspondents are really interested in shaking things up, a little introspection might be in order. Maybe they should consider why they spent so long accepting Biden’s absence rather than pushing for answers from the leader of the free world.
