Biden had a bit of a time at the press conference he held yesterday in Rome.

First, he was late, claiming he was “playing with elevators.”

Then he made it clear he was picking on reporters from a pre-approved list, as we reported. Biden being Biden, he gave the game away when he said, “Now, I’m told that I should start with AP, Zeke Miller.” But even with that approved list he had some trouble with questions. He tried to justify his incredible dip in the polls saying it happens to everyone. But he’s had the biggest drop of anyone in the office since World War II according to Gallup. So obviously, that doesn’t happen to everyone. He also tried to evade comment about what he claimed Pope Francis said to him — that he was a good Catholic and should keep receiving Communion seemingly throwing the Pope in the way of the criticism of him from American Catholic bishops.

Biden definitely seems to have a list of folks he wants to call on. Of the five people he called on in the presser yesterday, he’d also called on three of them in his press conference in March — ABC’s Cecilia Vega, the AP’s Zeke Miller and the Washington Post’s Seung Min Kim.

The questions often seemed teed up for him — such as the Pope question from Vega:

“For these Catholics back home, what did it mean for you to hear Pope Francis, in the wake of this — in the middle of this debate, call you a good Catholic? And did what he tell you — should that put this debate to rest?”

What that means is that there’s a slew of reporters who aren’t getting the opportunity to ask him questions, including people like Fox’s Peter Doocy who would be inclined to ask more piercing questions, holding Biden to greater account.

But that didn’t stop Doocy from trying to do his job. If only all the rest had half his persistent nature to plumb for the truth.

“Mr. President, is it true we’re going to give $450,000 to border crossers who are separated?” Doocy shouted at Biden as Biden was leaving the press conference going down the escalator.

President Biden leaving #G20 does not answer question from @pdoocy on whether U.S. is considering $450k payments to illegal immigrants https://t.co/0ENyRP4cq9 pic.twitter.com/MJWvVHlKgy

— Pat Ward (@WardDPatrick) October 31, 2021

We reported on that incredible story that the Biden team was considering huge payoffs like that amount to illegal aliens who had been separated after entering this country illegally. This was made all the more disturbing that it was Biden spin about people being “separated” that basically added to the “injury.” Yet it was the illegal aliens who entered illegally who themselves precipitated the issue, they can’t claim ignorance to the law. Or at least they couldn’t if they were Americans, that ordinarily wouldn’t work as an excuse. But it’s the Biden team apparently looking to offer them the money, something that’s particularly disturbing when Americans are being pressed under the boot of Joe Biden’s inflationary economy.

Biden didn’t answer. He looked up, scratched his head, and continued on the escalator.

Biden has given the press very limited access, very few press conferences and even when he holds one like the one in Rome, he calls on only a few people. His staff is always rushing reporters out of the room after he has events or makes remarks so he rarely answers questions. So he never gets pressed with hard questions or if he gets them, he ignores them, as he did with Doocy. The press — who should be objecting — seem to just let it go by. They filed one complaint with White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki after they were unceremoniously ejected from the room after Biden met with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson in September. But that hasn’t stopped the White House from continuing to do the same thing. Unless the press holds him to account, they will continue to get away with it.

However, there’s no doubt that Doocy and a few others will keep pressing and doing the job all of them should be doing.