Joe Biden's aides used to physically steer him away from reporters mid-sentence.
On Thursday, JD Vance walked into the first White House briefing since Karoline Leavitt's departure and called his shot.
And JD Vance looked straight at the Democrat press corps and told them something about Trump they could not argue with.
What Vance Said – and Why It Landed
JD Vance gave Breitbart's Nick Gilbertson the first question.
That wasn't an accident.
Vance used the moment to credit Leavitt for one of her most lasting legacies – blowing open the White House briefing room to non-legacy media.
"For too long, this room and I think this city have tried to lock out non-legacy media," Vance said. "They've seen it as a threat to themselves, and we actually think that it’s an amazing way to democratize access to information.”
The legacy press spent decades gatekeeping which voices got access to the president.
Leavitt dismantled that.
She handed microphones to outlets that used to stand on the sidewalk.
And she did it while becoming the youngest White House press secretary in American history – at 28 years old, with a baby daughter at home.
The Biden Comparison Vance Didn't Have to Make
Vance went further and made the contrast explicit – even daring the Democrat reporters in the room to disagree.
“And I do think — you know, not to, not to brag on my boss too much, but I do think the president has set us about to be the most transparent administration in history, and we have done that with flying colors,” he said. “If you just look back to the last administration, I mean, even the Democrats in the room — and I know you guys, if you’re being honest, most of you are Democrats — you would have to admit that the level of access, the level of access to the President of the United States, the Vice President, the senior team here, it’s just completely off the charts.”
He's right.
Biden's team handed reporters a list of pre-approved questions.
Biden read his answers from notes.
Biden gave 16 interviews in his first year while Trump was racking up 81.
Trump walks straight at them.
A Confident Man Answers Questions
Vance explained why Trump does it.
“Now, why does the President do that? He doesn’t do it just because, you know, he wants to, or it’s fun,” he said. “I think he definitely has a little bit of fun with it. He does it because he believes that part of governing a constitutional republic is to make yourselves accessible to the American people. So we do that.”
That's the whole thing right there.
A man who has nothing to hide answers questions.
A man who was running a cover operation reads from index cards and shuffles away while his handlers wave reporters off.
Trump goes to the White House lawn and takes questions until reporters run out of them.
https://twitter.com/GuntherEagleman/status/2095572189323874609?s=20
Trump gets on Air Force One and holds impromptu press sessions at 30,000 feet.
Trump goes into hostile rooms and answers anyway.
Karoline Leavitt spent 18 months building that culture – regular briefings, expanded access, outlets that had never had a seat at the table suddenly getting the first question.
She left Thursday's briefing room as a legend.
Vance made sure the left-wing press corps understood exactly what she built – and dared them to claim Biden ever came close.
They can't.
Even they know it.
Sources:
- Hannah Knudsen, "JD Vance Says Even Democrats Have to Admit the Stunning Level of Access Offered by the Trump Administration," Breitbart, September 3, 2026.
- "Karoline Leavitt to Depart White House," Washington Examiner, August 12, 2026.
- "Biden Trails Recent Presidents in Holding News Conferences and Interviews," Sinclair Broadcast Group, 2021.
- White House Statement on Trump White House Victory Against the Associated Press, The American Presidency Project, February 24, 2025.
- "Trump Has Taken Almost 20x More Press Questions at Cabinet Meetings Than Biden," Fox News, 2025.
