Reporters Risk It All To Ask BTS Questions At The White House Briefing
Reporters were ready to risk it all for the chance to speak to BTS!
On May 31, 2:30 PM (EST), BTS guested at The White House in Washington, D.C., the U.S. capital, to celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
The K-Pop group briefly made an address at The White House Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. They spoke about diversity and anti-Asian hate crimes.
Thank you, Karine, for your kind words. And hi, we’re BTS, and it is a great honor to be invited to The White House today to discuss important issues of anti-Asian hate crimes, Asian inclusion, and diversity.
— RM
Immediately following BTS’s address, the members were set to meet with the President of the United States, Joe Biden, to discuss racial discrimination, anti-Asian hate crimes, Asian inclusion, and the importance of diversity. The meeting, which began at 3:00 PM (EST) in the Oval Office, was closed to the press.
Since reporters would not be in attendance for BTS’s meeting with President Biden, they all hoped to speak to the band in their brief chance at The White House Briefing. Yet, since BTS and President Biden’s meeting was directly after the group’s address, Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre emphasized to the press prior to the address that there was not enough time for the members to take questions.
They’re going to each speak. …They’re not going to take any questions. They’re just going to come here and give some words…
— Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre
That didn’t stop a couple of reporters from trying, though!
As soon as the translator concluded, a reporter raised their hand to ask BTS a question. They asked, “What does it mean to you to come to The White House?”
Another question came shortly after, shouted by a reporter. It concerned BTS’s potential world tour!
“When is your world tour coming?” 😭 this was so sweet pic.twitter.com/LNFzh2HwOE
— kimi 8th member of bts (@YOURGIRlkimi) May 31, 2022
Leader RM, always prepared for questions, was ready to answer questions. But when he saw Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre returning, he quickly stopped himself! Still, he smiled and apologized to everyone, proving he is so sweet.
Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre reiterated that they would not be receiving any questions. So, they left after that once expressing their thanks again.
We’re going to go. They’re not going to take any questions, but thank you so much.
— Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre
Still, the reporters were hoping to ask questions!
Likewise, U.S. senators risked it all to see BTS at The White House. Read more below:
U.S. Senators Are Fighting Over Invitations To See BTS At The White House
Watch the full The White House Press Briefing below:
