President Joe Biden stood before the cameras of the global media in Italy Thursday at the start of the G7 conference – back in the spotlight again during a period where the White House has avoided questions about the Hunter Biden guilty verdict.
The G7 summit underway on Italy’s Adriatic coast begins at an awkward time for the president, coming just hours after a jury convicted his son in federal court in Wilmington on gun charges.
Nevertheless, the White House has managed to keep reporters at bay through a series of tactics. The first was in a written statement issued in Biden’s name minutes after the verdict came down.
The White House cancelled a press briefing with Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre that had been set for Tuesday just as the news broke, which could have turned into a 40-minute interrogation on the subject.
Then, in a previously unannounced trip, the president jetted to his hometown of Wilmington, hugging his son on the tarmac and providing an emotive visual image of support.
He also spoke to Hunter’s wife Melissa Cohen and son Beau Biden, but a pool of reporters traveling with him was positioned too far away to shout questions, according to the pool.
That left Wednesday’s flight aboard Air Force One as the first opportunity for a smaller group of reporters to finally get information about how the president and the administration were grappling with the historic verdict.
Jean-Pierre tried to preempt those questions by reading from Biden’s written statement, where he said he and first lady Jill Biden ‘love our son,’ and we are so proud of the man he is today, mentioning addiction and saying they ‘will always be there for Hunter and the rest of our family.’
When more questions did come, Jean-Pierre was insulated by her own lack of information. ‘I haven’t spoken to the President about this since the verdict came out,’ she told the press.
(That didn’t keep her from making news when she refused to rule out the president commuting Hunter’s sentence, even though he has forsworn a pardon. ‘I have not spoken to the President about this,’ she said.) Biden arrived in Italy at night.
The White House organized a zoom briefing with national security advisor Jake Sullivan Thursday morning, but that was centered around foreign policy matters and was restricted to the more limited group of pool reporters who were with Biden). The broader press corps could dial in to listen, but couldn’t ask a question.
As I said last week, I am the President, but I am also a dad. Jill and I love our son, and we are so proud of the man he is today. So many families who have had loved ones battle addiction understand the feeling of pride seeing someone you love come out the other side and be so strong and resilient in recovery. As I also said last week, I will accept the outcome of this case and will continue to respect the judicial process as Hunter considers an appeal. Jill and I will always be there for Hunter and the rest of our family with our love and support. Nothing will ever change that
At the luxurious Borgo Egnazia resort where G7 leaders were meeting, Biden was protected by the run of events. He warmly greeted Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, then joined the group of leaders during a brief ‘spray’ at the start of their first meeting.
At that event, Meloni was the only person speaking, and the press were only there briefly, denying the opportunity to pose an inquiry to Biden.
There was a second Biden meeting open to reporters Thursday afternoon for a quick ‘spray’, providing another narrow opportunity for questions.
The White House has scheduled a press conference Thursday evening local time with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
That event will give members of the press the chance to finally question Biden directly.
But the press conference will be limited by an expected format allowing just two questions from the U.S. side. That forces members of the media to choose between asking about stalled cease fire proposal for Gaza, Ukraine, or the stunning legal developments.
At his last such press conference, Biden chided a reporter who tried to get in a two-part question.
The format, alongside the embattled Zelensky who is struggling to counter the Russian invasion of his homeland, allows Biden to maneuver away from unwanted questions by pointing to new agreements to support Ukraine for a decade and provide new funds based on the interest of seized Russian assets.