New York Times calls out Biden for avoiding media questions
Fox News contributor Joe Concha on Joe Biden facing criticism from the New York Times as the president avoids ‘real questions’ from the press.
President Biden was a guest on "The Howard Stern Show" on Friday, surprising listeners with an unannounced appearance on the longtime radio host's Sirius program.
"I think I should leave now," Biden joked, after Stern gushed he was a strong admirer of the president's and had wanted to meet him for a long time.
"I know everyone's going to think I'm doing a fake interview with you, but you are really here," Stern said.
The interview was about as friendly as it gets, with Stern and Biden discussing the latter's past football playing, his courtship of his wife, his time as a lifeguard, first campaign for the U.S. Senate and other trips down memory lane.
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( Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for SiriusXM/Jim WATSON /AFP)
They also delved into politics, with Stern expressing outrage at former President Trump for his rhetoric around the 2020 election and his 2021 phone call where he asked a Georgia official to "find 11,780 votes." At one point, Stern said he couldn't imagine Biden losing the election in November but wondered if he was prepared for the fallout.
Biden also made news during the debate, saying he would be "happy" to debate Trump, after previously not committing to doing so.
The timing of the Biden interview with Stern is notable, as he's chosen to sit down with an avid supporter and not a mainstream news outlet. One day earlier, the New York Times published a stunning statement condemning Biden's historic avoidance of one-on-one interviews with reputable news outlets.
"For anyone who understands the role of the free press in a democracy, it should be troubling that President Biden has so actively and effectively avoided questions from independent journalists during his term. The president occupies the most important office in our nation, and the press plays a vital role in providing insights into his thinking and worldview, allowing the public to assess his record and hold him to account," a Times spokesman told Fox News Digital.
"Mr. Biden has granted far fewer press conferences and sit-down interviews with independent journalists than virtually all of his predecessors."
The Times also addressed a report from Politico about publisher A.G. Sulzberger challenging Vice President Kamala Harris last year over Biden's lack of serious interviews.
New York Times publisher A.G. Sulzberger has pressed for President Biden to do more interviews. (Photo by Michael Cohen/Getty Images for The New York Times/Anna Moneymaker)
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"It is true that The Times has sought an on-the-record interview with Mr. Biden, as it has done with all presidents going back more than a century. If the president chooses not to sit down with The Times because he dislikes our independent coverage, that is his right, and we will continue to cover him fully and fairly either way," the spokesman told Fox News Digital.
"However, in meetings with Vice President Harris and other administration officials, the publisher of The Times focused instead on a higher principle: That systematically avoiding interviews and questions from major news organizations doesn’t just undermine an important norm, it also establishes a dangerous precedent that future presidents can use to avoid scrutiny and accountability. That is why Mr. Sulzberger has repeatedly urged the White House to have the president sit down with The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, CNN and other major independent news organizations that millions of Americans rely on to understand their government."
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