White House defends President Biden's use of cheat sheet

The White House defended President Joe Biden holding what appeared to be a "cheat sheet" of a reporter's question while he spoke at a press conference with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol the previous day.

During Thursday's White House press briefing, Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre responded to a question regarding a photograph that surfaced of President Biden holding a "cheat sheet".

The notes appeared to indicate that Biden would be receiving a question from Los Angeles Times journalist Courtney Subramanian on domestic manufacturing, which he did.

When asked by Fox News’ Jacqui Heinrich how the cheat sheet ended up in Biden's hands, Jean-Pierre explained that it is common for presidents to be briefed on potential questions that may come up during a press conference. 

She stressed that it was not surprising that Biden anticipated questions on the visit with the South Korean president, as the president was present at the conference, as well as questions regarding 2024.

"So, just to — just to step back, and I’m actually glad you asked that question. Clearly, I would let the reporter for Los Angeles Times speak for herself. It is entirely normal for a president to be briefed on reporters who will be asking questions at a press conference and issues that we expect they might ask about. It is not surprising that yesterday we would anticipate questions that he did receive on the visit with the South Korean president, as South Korean president was sitting — standing to his — to his right, or about 2024, that was completely expected," Jean-Pierre answered.

Jean-Pierre emphasised that the White House does not receive specific questions in advance but rather reaches out to reporters prior to the press conference regarding potential discussion topics. This approach helps ensure that the president is ready to communicate with the media and the American people on various issues.

She noted, "And, let’s not forget, we do these briefings every day. And a lot of the questions that you — that you all tell me, that’s how we brief him as well. You all ask me, that’s how we brief him as well. So, look, we do not have specific questions in advance. That’s not something that we do." 

Heinrich pressed Jean-Pierre, asking whether the cheat sheet indicated that the press conference was pre-organised. Jean-Pierre responded by saying that the president and his press team discuss an array of topics that could potentially come up, including the debt ceiling, which was one of the day's top news stories.

Jean-Pierre said that they strive to cover a variety of issues to ensure that the president is prepared to communicate with the American people. She acknowledged that there are likely a few top issues that the media is interested in, and they try to be prepared for those as well.