President Biden is no stranger to detailed cheat sheets when speaking to the press, but the president’s team seems to have taken things up a notch after he revealed a pre-written question from a reporter during Wednesday’s press conference.
As Biden spoke alongside South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in the White House rose garden, a photographer captured a small cheat-sheet in the president’s hand signaling he had advanced knowledge of a question from LA Times journalist Courtney Subramanian. The small paper also included a picture of the reporter along with the pronunciation breakdown of her last name. “Question #1” was handwritten at the top of the sheet, indicating the president should call on her first at the conclusion of his remarks.
“How are YOU squaring YOUR domestic priorities — like reshoring semiconductors manufacturing — with alliance-based foreign policy?” read the question in Biden’s hand.
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The reporter, who was in fact called up first but whose last name was omitted by the president, asked Biden, “Your top economic priority has been to build up US 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?”
A separate paper in Biden’s hand revealed the names of administration officials in the order of their remarks. Both cheat sheets were dated April 26, 2023.
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Biden has been ridiculed for relying on detailed cheat sheets in the past, with critics calling them an indication that the White House has lost faith in the 80-year-old commander-in-chief amid concerns about his mental acuity.
Last March, Biden displayed a list of prepared answers during a White House news briefing after his “this man cannot remain in power” comment about Russian President Vladimir Putin, which raised questions about his support for regime change in Russia.
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In June, reporters captured a cheat sheet at a White House meeting with cabinet members detailing specific instructions for the president.
“YOU enter the Roosevelt Room and say hello to participants,” the first bullet point read. “YOU take YOUR seat.”
After a bullet point that said, “Press enters,” the next one read, “YOU give brief comments,” with a parenthetical statement reading, “2 minutes.” Biden ended up speaking for roughly eight minutes. The final bullet points read, “YOU thank participants” and “YOU depart.”
A month later, Biden accidentally revealed a note from an aide to the camera that informed the president that there was “something” on his chin.
Biden has also embraced the practice of relying on a predetermined list of reporters selected by his staff early in his tenure instead of calling on them spontaneously during exchanges with the press.
