President Biden admits he was given prepared list of reporters to call on during joint news presser in Israel

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President Biden says he was 'given a list' of reporters to call on, during news conference in Jerusalem

The president admitted to being given a prepared list of reporters to call on during a joint news conference Thursday in Jerusalem.

During a joint news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid on Thursday morning in Jerusalem, President Biden said he was "given a list" of reporters to take questions from.

The president made the gaffe after taking one question from an Israeli reporter. Afterwards, he was prompted to call on more reporters, when he said, "Um, sure. Uh, I was given a list here," before reading off the name of Reuters reporter Steve Holland. 

President Biden speaks during an arrival ceremony at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel, on July 13, 2022. (AP/Evan Vucci)

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As the conference went on, Biden repeatedly looked down at his list to call on reporters. "The next person to ask us a question, I guess, is Nadia [Bilbassy]," he said referring to a reporter for an Arabic news outlet.

The gaffe came one day after Biden misspoke while referring to the Holocaust, shortly after landing in Israel to begin the first leg of his Middle East trip. 

"Later today, I will once more return to the hallowed ground of … Yad Vashem to honor the 6 million Jewish lives that were stolen in a genocide and continue — which we must do every, every day — continue to bear witness, to keep alive the truth and honor of the Holocaust — horror of the Holocaust — honor those we lost, so that we never, ever forget that lesson, you know, and to continue our shared, unending work to fight the poison of anti-Semitism wherever it raises its ugly head," Biden said in comments covered by Fox News.  

President Biden is greeted by Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid, right, and President Isaac Herzog, left, as they participate in an arrival ceremony at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel, on July 13, 2022. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

After visiting Israel, the president will visit the West Bank before traveling to Saudi Arabia to conclude his first visit to the Middle East since taking office.

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This is not the first time President Biden has raised eyebrows for admitting to calling on a pre-approved list of reporters given to him by his staff.

At a Russia-U.S. Summit in Geneva last year, the president was mocked for "saying the quiet part out loud" when he told reporters that "as usual," he would only be calling on reporters his staff directed him to. 

More recently, Biden repeatedly referred to a list of names during a press conference in Madrid following the NATO Summit at the end of June. Looking down at his paper, he stated he was "told" to call on Darlene Superville from the Associated Press.

President Biden listens to questions from reporters while speaking about the Russian invasion of Ukraine in the East Room of the White House on Feb. 24, 2022, in Washington.  (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

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According to one report, Biden's staff avoids holding press events in the Oval Office because there is no teleprompter. 

During his first year in office, the president did far fewer formal sit-down interviews with journalists than his previous two predecessors. Donald Trump did 92, and Barack Obama did 156, while Joe Biden only did 22, according to data from Towson University's White House Transition Project, Fox News reported.