Don't Expect Joe Biden to Comment on the Donald Trump Charges

President Biden was a man of few words Friday when reporters asked about Trump's historic indictment

President Joe Biden declined to comment on anything related to former President Donald Trump's indictment during a brief exchange with members of the press on Friday morning.

The president was asked six questions about the Trump indictment. Reporters spoke a total of 86 words in their persistent probing; Biden spoke a total of 32 words in response.

Those words were: "I have no comment on Trump," "I have no comment at all on Trump," "No," "I -- I'm not going to talk about Trump's indictment," "I have no comment on that," and one more "No" for good measure.

The president was speaking to journalists on the White House's South Lawn as he hopped on Marine One. Questions asked about his initial reaction, if he thinks the indictment will further divide the nation, if there are concerns about protests, and if he thinks the charges against Trump are politically motivated.

Related:Donald Trump Indicted by Grand Jury in Stormy Daniels Hush Money Case: Reports

Reporters surely expected to hit dead ends with their questions, despite giving them a try, as silence has been the Biden administration's go-to tactic when it comes to Trump and his legal issues.

"There's an old saying, if the enemy is digging themselves deeper, don't throw them a rope," Todd Belt, professor and political management program director at George Washington University told USA Today. "Silence is the best policy for him on this right now."

It's an unprecedented situation for a president to have to deal with. Trump, 76, is now the first sitting or former president in U.S. history to face criminal charges. The indictment comes more than six years after Trump allegedly paid hush money to adult film star Stormy Daniels while he was the presidential candidate in 2016.

Related:Can Donald Trump Be President Now That He's Been Indicted? Your Burning Questions Answered

While Trump and his longtime lawyer Michael Cohen initially denied the claims of an affair, Cohen later admitted that there was a payment made to the porn star.

Calling it "a private transaction," Cohen told The New York Times that he paid Daniels $130,000 out of his own pocket in 2016. He said Trump had not reimbursed him.

Trump has since admitted he authorized the $130,000 payment, but has continued to deny the underlying claims that the two had an affair or that the payment was in any way connected to his campaign.

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President Biden's current communications strategy follows the traditional White House approach of avoiding comment on pending investigations. (Trump was less cautious during his presidency when it came to weighing in on such matters.)

And while the nation questions what comes next in Trump's investigation, Biden is laser-focused on himself and his agenda, treating the week like any other. On Friday already, the president's Twitter page covered topics ranging from annual inflation rates falling to climate change and manufacturing.

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