President Joe Biden surprised reporters on Friday when he joined a White House press briefing for the first time in his presidency.
Biden usually sticks to scripted speeches and press conferences with the rare Oval Office address. His first televised interview was in July following a widely-panned debate performance that gave momentum to calls for him to drop his reelection bid. (He withdrew his candidacy on July 21.) While Biden does take reporters’ questions at press conferences and when he sees them on the road, Friday was the first time he took the podium at a White House press briefing.
Reporters could be heard audibly gasping as Biden entered the room as shown in videos posted on social media. When he got up to the podium he jokingly said, “My name’s Joe Biden.”
Newsweek reached out to the White House via email for comment late Friday afternoon.