The White House denied that it scrapped plans to host a press conference after President Joe Biden meets with his Canadian and Mexican counterparts because aides do not want Biden answering reporter questions.
Last week, White House press secretary Jen Psaki indicated that Biden would continue the tradition of holding a press conference after the so-called “Three Amigos” meeting, an event organized after all eight preceding summits.
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But reporters will only be allowed in the meeting rooms for short periods of time before Biden speaks with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador separately and then once more when they all gather together, according to White House spokesman Chris Meagher on Wednesday.
“Is the worry that you don’t want the president taking questions?” one reporter asked Meagher on Air Force One.
“I appreciate that,” Meagher responded en route to Detroit. “Like I said, there will be little sprays at the top of each of the meetings tomorrow. As you know, the president often takes questions throughout the course of the day, throughout the course of trips.”
The question came after the White House clarified three comments Biden made Tuesday. Biden misstated that the United States supported a Taiwan “independent” of China, foreshadowed a Federal Reserve Board chair nominee announcement this weekend as inflation soars, and then joked that he would be the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games delegation amid boycott calls.
Meagher could not provide any more information regarding Biden’s Olympics remark. But Meagher did offer more context concerning when Biden may announce whether he will renominate Federal Reserve Board Chairman Jerome Powell for another four-year term, despite Massachusetts Democrat Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s opposition.
“What I can say is that the president will likely make a decision before Thanksgiving, and he continues to engage with his senior economic team,” Meagher said.
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Biden flew to Detroit Wednesday to pitch the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure deal to voters. He had traveled to Woodstock, New Hampshire, on Tuesday as part of the same sales tour.
