(PresidentialInsider.com)- President Joe Biden turned down the opportunity to host a press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday, and on Wednesday, he followed through on that promise.
It seems pretty obvious that President Joe Biden didn’t want to get stalled or have a brain freeze while standing at a podium with the Russian leader, and chose only to answer very brief questions before his meeting with the Russian leader.
Bidens’ excuse, however, is that he didn’t want to make it appear as though it was a “contest” between the two leaders.
Presumably because he knows that, in a contest, Vladimir Putin would win.
Biden said that “this is not a contest about who can do better in front of a press conference to try to embarrass each other,” and he has good reason to believe that he might be embarrassed. Earlier this year when he labeled the Russian president a “killer,” Putin responded by challenging the U.S. president to a live TV debate.
Putin knows Biden struggles in front of live cameras, and Biden knows that Putin knows.
President Biden did host a press conference after the summit, but separately from President Vladimir Putin. He claimed that he “did what [he] came to do,” explaining that he warned that there will be consequences if Russia continues to engage in hacking attacks like the SolarWinds and Colonial Pipeline hacks, and if opposition leader Alexey Navalny dies in prison.
He also told reporters before he boarded Air Force One that “America is back” and that he owes world leaders a “debt of gratitude” for getting behind him on the talks with Vladimir Putin.
Biden added that he believes arms agreements are possible with Russia now just as they were during the Cold War.
Do you trust him?
