The first White House press briefing of the Biden era proved the press can hold a Democratic president accountable, too, at least on issues like “color scheme.”
The moment: Near the end of Wednesday’s 31-minute session — which The Associated Press described as “sedate, even boring at times” — the Daily Mail’s Nikki Schwab demanded to know what colors President Joe Biden will paint his jet.
“On a lighter note, will he keep Donald Trump’s Air Force One color scheme change?” asked Schwab after initially inquiring about Biden’s plans for federal executions.
- “This is such a good question!” replied White House press secretary Jen Psaki. “I will venture to get you an answer on that, and maybe we can talk about it in here tomorrow.”
During the presidential transition, there was speculation that Biden would cancel former President Donald Trump’s redesign of two modified Boeing 747s that are set to replace the existing presidential fleet in 2024, the last year of Biden’s term.
- As with more pressing issues, though, Biden was never really pressed for an answer.
“Deep respect”: While tight-lipped on paint policy, Psaki opened Wednesday’s briefing by highlighting Biden’s Day 1 barrage of executive actions undoing other aspects of Trump’s legacy, including on the coronavirus, climate change and immigration.
Psaki, a former Obama administration communications official, also pledged to treat the news media with greater respect than Trump’s White House had.
- “I have deep respect for the role of a free and independent press in our democracy and for the role, all of you play,” she said.
- “[Biden’s] objective and his commitment is to bring transparency and truth back to government and to share the truth even when it’s hard to hear, and that’s what I hope to do.”
Fox News host Brian Kilmeade later commented, “This is the way it should have been for four years with President Trump. Not one day did any of her predecessors have that tone [from reporters].”
Double-standard?: Ahead of Psaki’s reset on Wednesday, as Trump left office and Biden was sworn-in, cable news personalities could be seen transitioning real-time to a kinder, gentler tone.
Several prominent journalists who rose to fame by criticizing Trump had previously said they intended to do their jobs differently under Biden.
- Jim Acosta, CNN’s grandstanding White House correspondent, told The Atlantic magazine last month: “I don’t think the press should be trying to whip up the Biden presidency and turn it into must-see TV in a contrived way.”
