White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt recently presented a striking statistic during her Thursday briefing that underscored the stark contrast between former President Joe Biden’s media engagement and President Donald Trump’s accessibility. Leavitt noted that over the past month, President Trump has taken questions from reporters nearly every single day—sometimes even multiple times in a day—on any subject of interest, setting an unprecedented standard for media interaction.
“In his first few hours back in office, President Trump answered more than 12 times the number of questions that President Biden managed to handle during his entire first week,” Leavitt explained. One of the most memorable images from Trump’s second inauguration on January 20 was him signing numerous executive orders while simultaneously engaging with reporters, a moment that vividly illustrated his willingness to interact openly with the press.
This message is bolstered by recent reporting. In July 2024, Axios published an article titled “Biden’s Media Evasion,” which revealed that President Biden had held far fewer press conferences and media interviews than any of the last seven presidents at a comparable point in their terms. At that time, Biden had conducted only 164 interviews, whereas Trump had participated in 468. Notably, George W. Bush and Ronald Reagan had held 248 and 262 press events respectively.
Furthermore, The Daily Signal reported in August 2023 that over the past three months, the number of reporters with access to the White House had dropped by 31%, leaving 442 fewer journalists with the coveted “hard pass” due to new rules announced in May.
In a related development during Thursday’s briefing, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller sharply criticized reporters for failing to focus on what he described as President Biden’s disengagement from public communication. “You’re tempting me to say some very harsh things about some of our media friends,” Miller remarked when asked who was really governing the country during Biden’s term. He continued, “It is true that many of the people in this room, over the past four years, failed to cover the fact that Joe Biden was mentally incompetent and was not running the country.”
Meanwhile, President Trump’s approval ratings have remained robust amid a swift rollout of his agenda just one month into his new term. According to Newsweek, recent surveys show that at least 50 percent of Americans approve of Trump’s performance as president—even though some polls indicate that his favorability ratings have dipped slightly since his first few days in office. For example, a SurveyUSA poll conducted among 2,000 adults between February 13 and 16 found that 51 percent of respondents approve of Trump’s job performance, while 45 percent disapprove—resulting in a net approval score of +6 points. Regional analysis from the poll revealed that Trump enjoys stronger support in rural areas (59 percent) compared to suburban (48 percent) and urban regions (51 percent).
A Morning Consult poll released on Tuesday further corroborated these findings, showing that 50 percent of voters approve of Trump’s job as president, with 47 percent disapproving. Additionally, a survey conducted by Napolitan News, by Scott Rasmussen and RMG Research, indicated that Trump’s approval rating stands at 55 percent, with a disapproval rating of 43 percent—yielding a net approval score of +12 points.
These statistics, along with Leavitt’s remarks, paint a picture of a former president who, in contrast to his successor, has maintained a proactive and engaged approach with the media. His willingness to face questions on a daily basis and his visible presence during high-profile events have resonated with many Americans who value transparency and accountability from their leaders.
A Closer Look at the Media Engagement of Trump and Biden
President Trump’s Dynamic Approach
The image of President Trump signing executive orders while addressing reporters during his second inauguration became one of the defining moments of his return to office. This period set the tone for what many have described as an era of “media accessibility” for the president. By engaging directly with the press on a near-daily basis, Trump not only underscored his readiness to communicate with the public but also established a precedent for openness in his administration.
Leavitt highlighted that this approach was not an afterthought. Rather, it was a deliberate strategy to set a new benchmark for presidential communication—one that prioritized direct engagement with journalists on a wide range of topics. This was in stark contrast to the communication style observed during President Biden’s early months in office, where media interactions were notably fewer in number. The difference in the volume of press engagements is not just a numerical statistic; it reflects differing philosophies about the role of the president in interacting with the public and the media.
