Biden snaps and lectures the PRESS for asking questions off topic as he signs deal with Zelensky that will keep the US supporting Ukraine for 10 years

President Joe Biden snapped at a reporter for failing to 'play by the rules' at a press conference Thursday when he asked about a stalled Gaza ceasefire deal instead of Ukraine.

Biden lashed out a reporter for Bloomberg News who asked him about the situation in the Middle East, even while he was touting a 10-year U.S. security commitment to Ukraine alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. 

'I wish you guys would play by the rules a little bit,' Biden harrumphed.

There is no such agreement by the media to stay on a certain topic at press conferences. 

'I’m here to talk about a critical situation in Ukraine. You’re asking me about another subject,' Biden complained. 'I'll be happy to answer in detail later.'

President Joe Biden tore into reporters for failing to 'play by the rules' by asking questions about topics other than Ukraine at a press conference Thursday at the G7 in Italy

The war in Gaza is a top issue among the U.S. and key allies, and it has come up repeatedly during White House press briefings, including one earlier Thursday.

And Biden's team had already announced the Ukraine security deal earlier in the trip.  

Biden may have been sore at the previous reporter, who asked him about his son Hunter being found guilty by a Delaware jury in a federal court on a gun charger.  

But even that question was phrased as an inquiry about addition and struggle in his family, rather than about the most unseemly aspects of the trial. It came after a series of efforts to shield Biden from questions about his son during the trip.

Biden's answer indicated it wasn't a lack of fluency in the issue that forced him to vent. 

He noted that the latest plan for a phased ceasefire was backed by the UN Security Council, the G7 and the Israelis.

'The biggest hangup so far is Hamas refusing to sign on even though they have submitted something similar,' he said, echoing pressure by his administration on Hamas.

Off script: The president admonished reporters for failing to 'play by the rules' after they asked off topic questions. Biden's presser had a huge sign proclaiming a new security agreement with Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy expressed appreciation for the deal and called for unity. He thanked Congress and both parties for a supplemental appropriation that is providing billions in new aid, despite battlefield setbacks to the Russians

Time is on his side (until the sun goes down). Biden let one rule of good manners slip himself: he was an hour late for his press conference

One war at a time: Biden chided Bloomberg News reporter Josh Wingrove for asking a question about a phased deal that would free hostages and Palestinian prisoners and establish phases meant to bring a ceasefire in Gaza

The main 'rule' for the presser that the media did comply with was a 'two and two' format where each side's media got two questions, from the U.S. and Ukraine. 

Biden routinely chides reporters who ask multi-part questions as a way to get around the strict limitation.

Despite Biden's grumbling, the structure of the event was established to suit his interests. It didn't descend into a free-for-all. 

He faced a single question about Hunter's historic trial during the event while it was underway.

There were shouted follow-up questions in the end, and Biden gave a single-word answer, that 'no' he would not commute his son's sentence. (He has said previously and said again Thursday he would not pardon him).

There are a new mores that the White House has deployed that clash with the way press events went in the past. One is the use of blaring music at the conclusion of the event, which has the effect of preventing a series of shouted questions from being captured on video while the president exits, and might even deter him from hearing them.

Another is the tactic of having White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre use a microphone to declare an end to the event. Jean-Pierre took a mic Thursday as the press conference was nearing its predetermined end.

Biden once again had a card with him with the two predetermined reporters he would call on at the event.

The White House Correspondents' Association issued a rare statement in response to Biden's claim about a rule violation. 

'While the White House does determine the number of reporters the president will recognize, it is up to professional journalists to decide what to ask,' said the statement.

'Any leader may prefer that reporters ask only one question or ask only about a topic that is of most interest to the president or another world leader, but a free press functions independently,' the WHCA said.

The topic that the White House wanted to focus on was made plain with a large poster between the president and Zelensky: UNITED STATES-UKRAINE BILATERAL SECURITY AGREEMENT.'

The deal, which the two men signed at the beginning, commits the U.S. to supporting the country for years – although as a non-treaty it would not bind a future U.S. administration. Nevertheless, it is a policy that could pressure Donald Trump to stay the course if he were to defeat Biden and regain the White House. (Trump has said he would end the war in one day if elected without saying how).

Biden veered from one pre-established part of the program: the start time. He came out almost exactly an hour after the 7:45 announced beginning. That had the effect of undercutting his advance team, who had selected an attractive backdrop of olive trees on the grounds of the high-end hotel where he is staying. 

Many of the shots that photographers got from the event showed a dark background. His remarks were also interrupted at one point by a loud helicopter flying overhead.

Biden also cheered a separate agreement, to rely on proceeds from seized Russian assets to provide $50 billion to Ukraine.

But he used langauge indicating the details were not entirely worked out. The administration has said the U.S. would loan up to $50 billion, but that other unnamed nations would also step up. The loans would be backed by interest on the seized assets, which total about $300 billion. 

Biden said it would 'put that money to work for Ukraine' and 'prove that we're not backing down.'