Biden Cheat Sheet with Reporter’s Question ‘Entirely Normal,’ White House Says

US President Joe Biden was seen holding a cheat sheet with a reporter's question, leading to some backlash. But the White House shrugs it off, saying that having note cards is "entirely normal."

Biden brought a cheat sheet during the joint conference with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol during his US state visit to the White House.

(Photo : BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
US President Joe Biden delivers remarks on new actions to advance environmental justice, in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, DC, on April 21, 2023.

Biden Cheat Sheet 'Entirely Normal,' White House Press Secretary Says

According to Newsweek, the White House came to the defense of the President of the United States (POTUS) following the controversy surrounding his note cards.

The press secretary of the White House, Karine Jean-Pierre, offered in her daily briefing on Tuesday that it is part of the job of the President to at least "get a sense" of the questions that journalists might throw at him. And as such, she argued that having some notes is nothing to fuss about since it is regular protocol.

In other words, even if critics called out the use of cheat sheets during the press conference, the White House insists that it is "entirely normal."

According to the statement by the White House, it is considered a typical practice for a president to receive a briefing on reporters who will be posing questions during a press conference and the topics they may inquire about. Jean-Pierre told reporters during her briefing that it should not be "surprising" at all to anticipate queries from journalists, as per The New York Post.

Newsweek points out that Republicans and critics raise ethics concerns over the note card. Some even went as far as accusing media outlets of working with the President to improve his overall image to the public.

Jean-Pierre addressed such ethical concerns during her briefing with reporters. She assured them that the President nor his team did not receive any advance questions from the press. The White House press secretary stated that that is "not something that we do."

(Photo : Win McNamee/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 26: U.S. President Joe Biden looks at a note card referencing a reporter as he delivers remarks during a joint press conference with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol in the Rose Garden at the White House, April 26, 2023 in Washington, DC. President Biden is hosting President Yoon on his first visit to the United States as the two nations have reached a nuclear weapons agreement.

LA Times Denies Giving Advance Questions

The cheat sheet seen at the joint press conference of the US and South Korea included a photo of a Los Angeles Times White House correspondent, Courtney Subramanian, alongside the pronunciation of her surname.

On top of that, the note card also includes a question. It reads: "How are YOU squaring YOUR domestic priorities - like reshoring semiconductors manufacturing - with alliance-based foreign policy?"

The LA Times denied accusations that they sent the White House advanced questions before the joint press conference. The vice president of communications of the publication, Hillary Manning, told Fox News that their reporter "did not submit any questions in advance."