President Biden Holds Note With Reporter’s Question Before Calling on Her

President Joe Biden was recently caught holding a cheat sheet during a press conference with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol. The sheet contained a question from a journalist, Courtney Subramanian, from the Los Angeles Times, along with a picture of the reporter and details on how to pronounce her surname. The sheet also had a handwritten “Question #1” at the top, suggesting that Biden should call on Subramanian first after making his speech at the joint press conference with Yoon.

During the press conference, Biden called on Subramanian to ask her question first. She asked about Biden’s top economic priority and whether it was damaging a key ally in the competition with China to help his domestic politics ahead of the election. Subramanian was one of two journalists Biden called on, the other being Mary Bruce from ABC.

This is not the first time Biden has been caught with notes directing him on what to do or who to address. In November 2022, at a two-day G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, Biden had a cheat sheet that told him when to sit and when to take photos. In June 2022, Biden had another cheat sheet when he was attending a meeting with executives from the wind industry. In March 2022, when he was answering media questions over the war in Ukraine, Biden carried a cheat sheet that contained questions with potential responses on Vladimir Putin. In July 2021, Biden was given a handwritten message by an aide that said, “Sir, there is something on your chin.”

It remains to be seen whether Biden’s use of cheat sheets will become a trend during his presidency.

Key Takeaways:

• President Joe Biden was caught holding a cheat sheet during a press conference with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol.
• The sheet contained a question from a journalist, Courtney Subramanian, from the Los Angeles Times, along with a picture of the reporter and details on how to pronounce her surname.
• Biden called on Subramanian to ask her question first, which was about his top economic priority and whether it was damaging a key ally in the competition with China to help his domestic politics ahead of the election.
• This is not the first time Biden has been caught with notes directing him on what to do or who to address.