Attorney General Todd Blanche Acknowledges Preselection of Reporters at White House Press Conferences

<figure><img alt="U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche holds a press conference in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., September 15, 2026." src="https://thedailybeast-thedailybeast-prod.web.arc-cdn.net/resizer/v2/3FQR4QCM2RBJPKFO3NZ4LX7LZQ.JPG?auth=0937be296f460645a41871734428ce72c56a87c373d090ab2c3b32007f786301&amp;smart=true&amp;width=5000&amp;height=2813" /><figcaption>Kevin Lamarque/Reuters</figcaption></figure><p>Attorney General Todd Blanche revealed that the White House preselects reporters to ask questions during press conferences. This acknowledgment comes despite former President Donald Trump criticizing President Joe Biden for similar practices.</p><p>Blanche, who temporarily filled the role of White House press secretary on September 15, 2026, addressed reporters in the Rose Garden. He stated that he was aware of which reporters he would call on and in what order.</p><p>“I will take questions if there are any. And I know it’s a different environment than before; I notice you guys are sweating, which is nice. I love to see that. We’ll start out with…”</p><img alt="Todd Blanche is the latest Trump goon to temporarily fill in as White House press secretary. / Jonathan Ernst / Jonathan Ernst/Reuters" height="3697" src="https://thedailybeast-thedailybeast-prod.web.arc-cdn.net/resizer/v2/KIN4YHA7TZE75H5UYAUZ4FEM4A.JPG?auth=51b45239e99e136294a6e23b282d60ef12f89287db1e33bdc4208fd33342d9b3&amp;smart=true&amp;width=5546&amp;height=3697" width="5546" /><p>As reporters began to speak over one another to gain the opportunity to ask the first question, Blanche remarked, “They give you a list, guys. Everybody calm down.” He then called on a reporter from the conservative magazine National Review, followed by a reporter from the right-wing news site Daily Caller.</p><p>While preselecting reporters is a common practice at press conferences, Blanche's comments drew attention to Trump's previous criticisms of Biden for similar actions. Trump had previously stated on Truth Social in November 2023, “Biden calls on a specific reporter, gets a question, then reads the answer off a card. In other words, he knows the question, then reads the answer.”</p><img alt="Trump has repeatedly attacked Biden with false claims that the former president took pre-screened questions from selected reporters at press conferences. / Melina Mara/Pool/AFP via Getty Images" height="1816" src="https://thedailybeast-thedailybeast-prod.web.arc-cdn.net/resizer/v2/ABUXP2Y6AZFUZMR67VWNPPD3Z4.jpg?auth=de2a965d40d33f5a4100cfca9c4a8a0cb2af311b2a4dc178c5df3ba2337dce42&amp;smart=true&amp;width=2724&amp;height=1816" width="2724" /><p>During Trump's presidency, he also accused Biden of receiving questions in advance at a press conference in Wilmington, Delaware. Trump claimed, “Biden was asked questions at his so-called Press Conference yesterday where he read the answers from a teleprompter,” asserting that Biden was given the questions beforehand.</p><p>A Biden adviser responded to Trump's claims at the time, calling them “laughable.”</p><p>The Washington Post reported that Biden had acknowledged having a “list of 10 people that I’m supposed to call on” during press interactions, but the White House Correspondents’ Association and major news outlets, including the Associated Press, have denied that reporters provide their questions in advance.</p><img alt="JD Vance held the first White House press briefing after Karoline Leavitt stepped down from the role at the end of August. / Jonathan Ernst/Reuters" height="1528" src="https://thedailybeast-thedailybeast-prod.web.arc-cdn.net/resizer/v2/L5BEGM5MOFBO7D66WCUCH4O5QQ.JPG?auth=a18df69edb21e6fba0b13e2c8ebb1a67338d045b00725aac27dd784e1354863b&amp;smart=true&amp;width=2291&amp;height=1528" width="2291" /><p>Vice President JD Vance, who filled in as press secretary on September 3, 2026, used a chart to identify where reporters were seated in the press room to facilitate taking their questions. In August, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also utilized a list to call on specific reporters, although one reporter he called on was not present, resulting in an awkward silence before he moved on to another question.</p><p>The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment.</p>