President Joe Biden is preparing to step in front of the media for the first time during his presidency. On Wednesday, the President's team shared that Biden would host the first formal news conference of his presidency on March 25 at approximately 1:15 p.m. The historic event will take place in the East Room of the White House.
Biden is the first President of the modern era not to hold a formal news conference during the first 60 days of his term. Presidents of an earlier era like John F. Kennedy held as many as seven formal news conferences during the first 60 days of his presidency. More recent Presidents like Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump have only had one formal news conference during the first 60 days of their presidency.
Biden's lack of formal news conferences is likely a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Current COVID-19 restrictions have made it difficult to pack staff members, media professionals and security into one room for a press conference. In the months leading up to the election, his travel was limited. Attendance at his Presidential Inauguration was also limited. Simply put, nothing has been normal during the first few weeks of his presidency.
In his first formal news conference, the President will likely touch on the federal government's response to the pandemic. Recently, Biden met his mark of distributing 100 million vaccine doses during the first 100 days of his presidency. Moving forward, the federal government will continue to rollout vaccines and prepare for potential variants that could harm younger, unvaccinated populations.
In addition to the pandemic, the President could also offer remarks regarding recent mass shootings. Earlier this month, a gunman killed eight people at various massage parlors in Atlanta. During the incident, six Asian-Americans were killed as violence against the AAPI within the U.S. rises. More recently, a gunman in Colorado killed 10 people at a local grocery store.
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