"Dignity Has Returned"... Biden's First Press Conference Different from Trump

Biden's First Official Press Conference Since Inauguration... "Calm Atmosphere"
Contrasted with Trump's First Press Conference Described as a Quarrel
Foreign Media: "We Could See the Normal Side of the U.S. President"

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suhwan] U.S. President Joe Biden held his first official press conference 64 days after his inauguration. Given that former President Donald Trump’s press conferences were often controversial, there was keen interest even before the event in how President Biden would present himself differently. There was also curiosity about whether the 78-year-old Biden could handle a lengthy press conference well.

According to foreign media on the 25th (local time), Biden’s first official press conference held at the White House in Washington, D.C., generally proceeded as the media had anticipated. Unlike his predecessor’s press conferences, which were filled with arguments with reporters, emotional remarks, and self-praise, Biden’s was conducted in a calm atmosphere, reflecting American dignity and decorum, according to the consensus among U.S. media.

One reason this press conference attracted more attention than those of previous presidents was its timing. Former President Donald Trump, who had a poor relationship with the press, held his first official press conference one month after his inauguration, but Biden’s was even later.

However, what foreign media focused on most during this press conference was not the timing but Biden’s speaking style. At 78 years old, Biden holds the record as the oldest president in U.S. history. Since his presidential campaign, he had been nicknamed “Sleepy Joe,” a moniker given by former President Trump, implying that Biden often appeared drowsy and frequently made verbal slips or forgot his remarks during speeches or interviews.

But during the approximately 70-minute press conference, Biden showed no frequent verbal slips; rather, the calm atmosphere set him apart from his predecessor, according to foreign media evaluations. The British Independent reported, “Unlike Trump, the press conference was conducted without emotional ups and downs and in a stable atmosphere,” adding, “This difference actually made President Biden stand out more.”

Trump’s First Press Conference, Labeled a “Chaos” and “Verbal Brawl”

Previously, former President Trump’s first press conference was criticized as a verbal brawl rather than a press conference, as he made threatening remarks to reporters, expressed emotional statements, and engaged in heated exchanges with some journalists. The event began with him calling reporters “enemies of the people,” telling a New York Times reporter, “Your media company is already failing,” and calling CNN reporters a “gathering of garbage.”

In addition, Trump spent much of the press conference boasting about himself with some false information. For example, he emphasized that he won the election by the largest electoral vote margin since Ronald Reagan, but this was not true. Trump received fewer electoral votes than former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton.

Foreign media noted, “From his presidential campaign, Trump made emotional remarks that made it hard to understand his true intentions,” and “In that sense, his first press conference as the leader of the free world was inevitably significant.” This suggests that his controversial speaking style continued even after attaining the world’s most powerful position.

Some Verbal Slips but Generally Calm Atmosphere at Biden’s Press Conference… “Dignity Was Evident”

At Biden’s press conference, there were no emotional language, disparaging expressions, or excessive self-praise. Aside from minor verbal slips such as Biden correcting his own statements mid-sentence, there were no excessive mistakes that foreign media had feared. NBC News reported, “The former president responded aggressively to reporters’ critical questions about his policies, but President Biden calmly answered numerous critical questions today.”

Matthew Knott of the Australian outlet The Sydney Morning Herald, who attended the press conference as a correspondent, said, “The atmosphere was much calmer than at the former president’s press conferences,” and “Reporters also asked questions with a kinder attitude toward President Biden.”

Biden was not without challenges. When a CNN reporter asked about the filibuster, posing a roundabout question, “Is the filibuster a legacy of the Jim Crow era, which saw the passage of oppressive laws such as Black segregation laws?” Biden answered, “Yes.” When the CNN reporter then asked, “Then why don’t you support completely abolishing the filibuster?” Biden hesitated for a few seconds and was unable to respond properly.

The Independent concluded, “What Biden’s press conference clearly showed was dignity,” and “Unlike the previous president’s chaotic press conferences, we finally saw a normal image of the U.S. president.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.