Biden to hold first press conference of 2022 next week

President Biden will hold a formal press conference at the White House next week, press secretary Jen Psaki said Friday, Biden's first of 2022 and his first in several months.

Biden will take questions from reporters next Wednesday afternoon, Psaki said. He last held a solo White House press conference in March 2021, though he held a few of them during overseas trips, including after a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in June.

White House reporters and media watchdogs have been increasingly critical about access to Biden, pointing to his lack of formal press conferences and sit-down interviews with media outlets.

A recent Associated Press analysis found Biden held just nine formal press conferences during his first year in office, which included joint press conferences with foreign leaders. That was the fewest of any of the last six presidents, the analysis found.

Biden has also only sat for 22 press interviews in his first year, also the fewest of any of the last six presidents.

The White House typically defends access to Biden by pointing to the dozens of times he takes questions after scripted events and when departing the White House when traveling. But those exchanges are typically brief and do not allow for follow-up questions.