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New Photos Show Biden’s Cheat Sheet For First Press Conference

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Shelby Talcott Senior White House Correspondent
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President Joe Biden appeared to rely on notes for large portions of his first formal press conference in office Thursday.

Sixty five days into his term, Biden began by making remarks about the COVID-19 vaccines, getting children back into school and the number of Americans out of work. (RELATED: Joe Biden Has Waited Longer To Hold A Press Conference Than Any President Since World War I)

Soon after his opening remarks, Biden looked down at his notes to decide who to pick for his first question, ultimately landing on The Associated Press’ Zeke Miller. Throughout the press conference, Biden intermittently looked down at his notes to respond to questions and search for who to call on next. (RELATED: Biden Kicks Off First Solo Press Conference By Declaring New Vaccine Goal: 200 Million Vaccinations In First 100 Days)

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Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy alleged afterwards that there were aides “monitoring what” Biden was saying, though he was “pretty much on his own” while standing at the podium. Doocy also noted that Biden relied on “the list” of reporters to call on, adding that as the press conference wrapped up, it remained unclear whether it was “the end of the list.”

“I’ve never seen a POTUS bring one of those to a news conference,” former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer tweeted regarding Biden’s notes.

During one portion of the press conference, the president appeared to solely rely on a script when responding to a question about North Korea, Fox News contributor Guy Benson pointed out.

The press conference also featured Biden abruptly cutting short a speech regarding immigration and expressing irritation after ABC News’ Cecilia Vega questioned him over the conditions in migrant facilities.