Each U.S. president has his own unique style communicating with the American people. POLITCO provides this fascinating photo anthology beginning with President Franklin Roosevelt, seated side-by-side with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill on Dec. 23, 1941, after he asked Congress to declare war on Japan following the Dec. 7 stealth attack on our naval fleet resulting in thousands of deaths in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
Following in order, are Presidents Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, John Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama. Donald Trump is omitted from the not updated compilation as is his successor, Joe Biden.
Presidential press conferences, begun in 1913 by newly inaugurated Woodrow Wilson, have been around for over a century. There’s never previously been such blatant confusion as to who is the leader — Joe Biden or Jen Psaki?
White House Press Secretary Psaki spends far more time with the mostly sycophantic press corps than the befuddled Oval Office occupant, Joe Biden. Her interaction with reporters in the wake of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked war on Ukraine has taken on an authoritarian posture, as Psaki, not Biden, used the following statements:
“As I just outlined…”
“I would also note…”
“There are a range of topics we discussed with other national leaders…”
“I wouldn’t make that assessment…”
“We do anticipate prices will go up…”
In response to a question from Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy: “Is there any red line for Putin?”
Psaki replied, “Like what?
Equivocating on our U.S. armed forces, Psaki stated, “Well, I would say, first, the U.S. military is one of the best militaries in the world.” Not the best, but “one of the best.”
“Are you detecting any sign of any imminent use of chemical weapons over there?”
In a rare moment of candor, Psaki replied: “I’m not going to get into any intelligence.”
To the pressing question as to who is the decision maker in these difficult times, Joe Biden or Jen Psaki? We expect her fallback response, “The president has been clear with the American people.”