Biden Cheat Sheet Shows He Knew Reporter’s Question in Advance

During President Joe Biden’s Wednesday press conference with the South Korean president, photographs captured Biden’s cheat sheets for the event, revealing he had advance knowledge of one of the reporter’s questions. 

On the card was Los Angeles Times reporter Courtney Subramanian’s name and photograph along with a question labeled “Question #1.”

“How are YOU squaring YOUR domestic priorities—like reshoring semiconductors manufacturing—with alliance-based foreign policy?” read the question.

Subramanian was the first reporter Biden called on, and her first question was similar to the one that appeared on the cheat sheet, asking whether his efforts to boost domestic semiconductor manufacturing are hurting South Korea.

“Your rules against expanding chip manufacturing in China is hurting South Korean companies that rely heavily on Beijing,” Subramanian said at the press conference. “Are you damaging a key ally in the competition with China to help your domestic politics ahead of the election?”

Another Biden cheat sheet listed the names of Biden administration officials in the order in which they delivered remarks at the press conference, starting with “YOU.”

The Los Angeles Times said Thursday in a statement: “Our reporter did not submit any questions in advance of the Q&A with President Biden. Courtney Subramanian covers the White House for the Los Angeles Times. As such, she is in regular contact with the White House press office seeking information for her reporting. You would have to ask the White House who prepared the document for the president and why they included that question.”

The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment by the Washington Free Beacon and others.

It’s not the first time Biden has been caught using cheat sheets with reporter information and event instructions. Biden was ridiculed in June 2022 when he used a card that reminded him to “enter the Roosevelt Room and say hello to participants. YOU take YOUR seat.”

Biden has given a historically low number of press conferences compared with past presidents, having granted less than a quarter as many interviews as Donald Trump did at the same point in his presidency.

Concerns about Biden’s health have surfaced within the Democratic Party as he begins his 2024 reelection campaign. The Washington Post this week interviewed Democratic voters who said the president’s frequent verbal slip-ups and physical stumbles are giving them pause about whether he should pursue a second term. 

Biden faces the lowest support from within his own party for a second term among modern presidents. Just 38 percent of Democrats said the party should nominate Biden for reelection, compared with 57 percent who want to find another candidate, according to an average of polls conducted throughout his term published by the Washington Post on Monday. Former president Donald Trump had 70 percent of the Republican Party’s support for a second term run.