The LA Times denied it had submitted a question to President Biden ahead of time and claimed the cheat sheet wasn’t their doing.
Biden, who spoke alongside South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in the White House Rose Garden, was photographed with a small cheat sheet in the president’s hand, signaling he had advanced knowledge of a question from Los Angeles Times journalist Courtney Subramanian.
The Times denied Subramanian gave the White House advance notice of her question.
“Our reporter did not submit any questions in advance of the Q&A with President Biden,” Hillary Manning, spokesperson for the Times, said in a statement. “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.”
“How are YOU squaring YOUR domestic priorities — like reshoring semiconductors manufacturing — with alliance-based foreign policy?” the card read below Subramanian’s profile and “Question # 1.”
Biden called on Subramanian, and began to read her question from her phone.
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“Your top economic priority has been to build up U.S. domestic manufacturing in competition with China, but your rules against expanding chip manufacturing in China is hurting South Korean companies that rely heavily on Beijing,” Subramanian asked. “Are you damaging a key ally in the competition with China to help your domestic politics ahead of the election?”
The White House responded on Thursday.
During a press briefing, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said, “Clearly, I would let the reporter for Los Angeles Times speak for herself. It is entirely normal for a president to be briefed on reporters who will be asking questions at a press conference and issues that we expect they might ask about. It is not surprising that yesterday, we would anticipate questions that he did receive on the visit with the South Korean president.”
“As the South Korean president was sitting, standing to his right or, about 2024, that was completely expected or about the debt ceiling, which he took questions at the end, shouted questions at the end. And, of course, we would note those issues to him likely will come up,” said Jean-Pierre.
“And let’s not forget; we do these briefings every day and a lot of the questions that you, that you all tell me. That’s how we brief him as well. You all ask me. That’s how we brief him as oh. So, um, look, we do not have specific questions in advance,” said Jean-Pierre.
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