Joe Biden becomes testy with the press as he declines in the White House

President Biden criticized journalists during a recent White House event, the latest in a series of hostile clashes with the press as he stepped out.

At a ceremony Sunday evening, Mr. Biden took questions from reporters after signing a bill allowing public sector workers such as teachers and firefighters to increase their Social Security benefits.

A reporter asked Mr. Biden about President-elect Donald Trump’s plans to end birthright citizenship.

“I may be the oldest president, but I know more world leaders than any of you have ever met in your entire damn life!” Mr. Biden responded.

It was his latest attack on journalists as his term draws to a close.

In November, a reporter asked Mr. Biden if he would be able to reach a hostage deal between Israel and Hamas before the end of his term.

“Do you think you can avoid getting hit in the head by a camera behind you,” he said.

Mr. Biden’s battles with the press have long been a staple of his career, dating back to his time in the Senate.

“President Biden has been sharp with the press for as long as he has been in public life. If you’re feeling generous, it’s quirky and funny. If you’re not feeling generous, it’s dry and mean. This is who President Biden is,” said Peter Loge, who teaches political communications at George Washington University.

Mr. Loge said the struggles would not overshadow Mr. Biden’s efforts to cement his legacy before leaving office.

“I’m not sure many people are paying attention to President Biden. Trump has been behaving like the president for months,” he said.

Conservative critics blasted Mr. Biden’s flippant response.

“What a bitter person,” Steve Guest, a conservative author and former communications adviser to Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, wrote on social media.

Conservative CNN commentator Scott Jennings joked on in heaven.

Although Mr. Biden presents himself as a champion of the free press, he frequently castigates journalists. In June – weeks before withdrawing from the presidential race – Mr Biden complained that journalists “never play by the rules” because they ask questions that stray from the topics he wanted to land. The comment drew sharp criticism from the White House Correspondents’ Association.

A week earlier, a reporter asked Mr. Biden if he could ask a second question and the president awkwardly responded: “No, one!” Mr. Biden answered the question, but then criticized the journalist, saying he had not “honored the agreement.”

In 2022, Mr. Biden called Fox News’ Peter Doocy a “stupid son of a bitch” after asking whether inflation would be a political liability ahead of the midterm elections. Mr Doocy said Mr Biden called him later to “clear things up” and insisted the comments were “nothing personal”.

The same year, he told Mr Doocy’s colleague Jacqui Heinrich that she had asked “a stupid question” in response to his question about Mr Biden’s plan to hold Russia accountable before its invasion of Ukraine.