Psaki announces Biden's first press conference of 2022: 'The president looks forward to speaking directly to the American people'

President Biden will hold his first formal press conference of 2022 on Wednesday, Jan. 19, the day before his presidency reaches its one-year mark, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki announced Friday.

"Next Wednesday, the president will hold a formal press conference at 4 p.m. in the afternoon," Psaki said at Friday's press briefing. "Look forward to seeing you there, and the president looks forward to speaking directly to the American people."

See more

Biden has not held a solo, formal press event at the White House since March 25, 2021, Deadline reports. Including those organized in conjunction with foreign leaders, Biden's held nine press conferences in total during his first year in office, versus former President Donald Trump's 21 and former President Barack Obama's 16, per CNN.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

White House reporters have grown "increasingly critical about access to Biden, pointing to his lack of formal press conferences and sit-down interviews with media outlets," notes The Hill. Though the president typically takes impromptu questions following scripted events or while traveling, the exchanges are "typically brief and do not allow for follow-up questions."

To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Brigid Kennedy

Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.