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Joe Biden's live feed cut after he says 'happy to take questions', Internet feels 'his people don't trust him'

The White House abruptly cut the feed of a virtual event after the president said he was 'happy to take questions' from Democratic lawmakers

It is 43 days since Joe Biden assumed office as the president and he is yet to hold his first full press conference. To add fuel to that, on Wednesday, March 3, the White House suddenly cut the feed of a virtual event after Biden said he was "happy to take questions" from Democratic lawmakers. 

Biden was participating in a gathering of House Democrats and discussing Covid-19 relief and vaccine rollout alongside House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the House Democratic Caucus. After he asked Democrats to help "restore faith" in government, he told the speaker, "I'd be happy to take questions if that's what I'm supposed to do, Nance. Whatever you want me to do." Seconds later, the feed was cut. 

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After the video started doing the rounds, many people took to Twitter to air their grievances. "Seriously ???! Did he just say that ??? He has a lot of questions to answer ... problem is ... he can’t !!" one tweeted. "I’d say “unbelievable” but this is absolutely believable. Can you imagine if Trump said “I’d be happy to take questions if that’s what I’m supposed to do”. The man has no effing idea where he is or what he’s even doing," another user complained. 

People started inquiring about Biden's whereabouts. "Wow! The most transparent administration of our life time #WheresBiden" one tweeted. "They are censoring their own guy lol," a user took a jab. "Will the President of the United States ever take questions? Never thought I’d say that," another user taunted. 

'It’s pathetic'

Biden's critics did not hold back in calling him out for not answering the public "I've said it 3x and I'll say it again; 80 million people voted for this guy..." one tweeted. "My guess is that there were no pre-screened questions," another said. While Biden did not officially hold any press conference six weeks since taking office, on the rare instance that he does take questions, they are reportedly often limited to inquiries from pre-selected reporters.

"I feel sorry for the guy. He’s obviously declining and his people don’t trust him to talk. It’s pathetic," another user said. "It’s literally unbelievable that man was allowed to run for President. He has had an obvious (seriously sad) mental impairment for a while. The country is getting worse-it’s bad. How sad for America," a user said along the same lines. 

His critics also demanded that Biden be more forthcoming. One of them is Donald Trump's press secretary from April 2020 until his departure, Kayleigh McEnany, who on Tuesday, March 2, night pointed out that both Trump and Barack Obama held a conference within 30 days after they were inaugurated. 

"My question is: where's Joe?" she asked, on Fox News. "It's been 41 days - at this point, President Trump had multiple press appearances, press conferences - President Barack Obama had as well. Joe Biden needs to step up. We need to hear from him. He needs to engage in the transparency that he promised us: he has not thus far."

CNN White House reporter Kevin Liptak reportedly wrote to his colleagues on Wednesday, March 3, "As we await word on when President Biden will hold his first solo press conference, an analysis of the past 100 years shows he is behind his 15 most recent predecessors, who all held a solo press conference within 33 days of taking office."

"While he has taken questions from reporters on a few occasions, including during sprays and a more formal Q&A session following an event in January, he has not held a formal press conference," Liptak noted, adding, "That includes both a solo press conference or a 2+2 news conference during his two virtual 'bilateral' meetings with the leaders of Canada and Mexico."

Meanwhile, Biden's press secretary, Jen Psaki, said on Wednesday, March 3, "We look forward to holding a full formal press conference, but in the meantime, the President takes questions from the reporters covering the White House regularly, including this morning. And his focus day in and day out is on getting the pandemic under control and putting people back to work. That's what people elected him to do."