'Who Is Your Puppet Master?': Twitter Users Mock Biden For Relying on Cheat-List of Vetted Reporters

Famously gaffe-prone Joe Biden has previously triggered concerns regarding how he responds to questions from the press. According to Press Secretary Jen Psaki, the White House communications team "a lot of times" instructs the president not to take questions, "but he’s going to do what he wants to do because he’s the president of the United States"

Joe Biden, who is frequently criticised for limited media access and being overly scripted, yet again appeared to rely on a cheat sheet of “pre-approved' reporters at his Sunday press conference on the heels of the G20 summit in Rome.

The US President, who had conversed with various world leaders on climate change goals ahead of the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow on 31 October - 12 November, said:

“And now I'm happy to take some questions. And I'm told I should start with AP, Zeke Miller.”

This is hardly the first time when the US POTUS appears to rely on a “pre-ordained” list of correspondents to draw from when facing the press, with the seemingly preferred order singling out The Associated Press, The Washington Post, NBC News, Reuters and Bloomberg News. Twitter users responded immediately, levelling scathing criticism at the POTUS who was “an embarrassment”.

At G20 Summit, Joe Biden takes questions, but only from a pre-approved list of reporters. pic.twitter.com/KFcqw10YJ9

— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) October 31, 2021

Why doesn't he pretend that he is in charge?
It is so weird.
Fine, some people decide who can ask pre-arranged questions, but he could pretend it was a real press conference?
BTW, Putin answers questions from all journalists for hours.
Imagine Biden doing the same 🤔😳😂🤣

— BR Ambedkar 🦾 (@Ambedkar4E) October 31, 2021

A walking disaster! It’s like elderly abuse.

— green9876 (@green987659) November 1, 2021

Wow if that doesn’t scream a Hidden hand what does

— YEAH-MAN-DONT-STOP (@YEAHISAIDIT1010) November 1, 2021

The Assisted Living Facility Staff of the White House has to Take Care of It’s Patient, Kit Glove Treatment… 🛌🩺😱

— SnewsHound (@SnewsHound) October 31, 2021

If the man can’t field an unscripted question, he doesn’t belong in office. The free press is dead with this administration when all questions have to be pre-approved.

— Scott Okun (@scottokun) November 1, 2021

Embarrassing in front of the whole world

— Chris Bordelon (@ChrisBordelon10) November 1, 2021

This guy is totally not of his own self who is pulling his strings it ain’t him

— tlesp (@tinyhello1) November 1, 2021

@POTUS A zoomed in list of reporters that you are REQUIRED to call on st the G20. Who is your puppet master? Your not all there.

— ManforMAN (@what_the_heck99) November 1, 2021

“Joe, on these flash cards are the answers to the TOTALLY RANDOM questions you’ll be asked”

— Patrick Henry (@pcarsnation) November 1, 2021

Just cruel. Someone please step in and save this guy. Where is his wife! We all need to pray for him and 🇺🇸. Very sad.

— John Clancy (@JohnClancy330) November 1, 2021

In June, Biden used a similar technique while he was in Geneva during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“I'll take your questions, and as usual, folks, they gave me a list of the people I'm going to call on,” said Biden, addressing members of the press.

In August, in the wake of the deadly Kabul terror attacks in Afghanistan, he stated: “Ladies and gentlemen, they gave me a list here. The first person I was instructed to call on was Kelly O'Donnell from NBC.”

Biden addressing a press conference on Kabul att@ck said "Ladies and gentlemen, they gave me a list here. The first person I was instructed to answer was Kelly O'Donnell from NBC. "

Who instructed him to call on the reporter?

Who's really the Boss? pic.twitter.com/di9i6uO4Fn

— Koustuv 🇮🇳 (@srdmk01) August 27, 2021

WATCH: Joe Biden explodes when a reporter asks a very simple question:

"How was your role as Vice President in charge of policy in Ukraine and your son's job in Ukraine, how is that not a conflict of interest?"

Biden: "I'm not going to respond to that!"

What is he hiding? pic.twitter.com/jbycKLARhE

— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) October 4, 2019

Biden, asked if 100 million vaccines within 100 days is too low of a goal, snaps: “When I announced it you all said it wasn’t possible. Gimme a break. C’mon man.” pic.twitter.com/O7n7jBOjvn

— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) January 21, 2021

On other occasions, the US President has been known to snap at journalists who hurled pointed questions at him out of turn.

CNN's Kaitlan Collins was on the receiving end of such an outburst after asking Biden a question related to Russia's President Putin.

Watch: Biden Snaps at CNN Reporter over Post-Summit Putin Questions https://t.co/S8dV4tOH6G

— Levan Ramishvili (@levanrami) June 18, 2021

Biden, who was walking away from his Geneva press conference, whirled around at Collins and said, "I'm not confident he'll change his behaviour. What in the hell, what do you do all the time?"

Last October, amid the Hunter Biden scandal, when a CBS reporter asked about the New York Post's report on Joe Biden’s son’s alleged laptop containing damning emails about his work on the board of a Ukrainian energy company, the then-Democratic presidential candidate blasted the reporter: "I know you’d ask it. I have no response, it’s another smear campaign, right up your alley, those are the questions you always ask."

I asked Joe Biden: What is your response to the NYPost story about your son, sir?

He called it a “smear campaign” and then went after me. “I know you’d ask it. I have no response, it’s another smear campaign, right up your alley, those are the questions you always ask.” pic.twitter.com/Eo6VD4TqxD

— Bo Erickson CBS (@BoKnowsNews) October 17, 2020