NY Times faces uproar for labeling Biden as 'most religiously observant' president
Fox News contributor Joe Concha says The New York Times piece is another example of the paper serving as an extension of the Biden communications team.
"It's funny how we're now actually ranking presidents based on most ‘religiously observant,’" Fox News contributor Joe Concha said Monday, comparing it to a ranking of the top quarterbacks to play in the Super Bowl.
His comments come after The New York Times described President Biden as "perhaps the most religiously observant commander in chief in half a century" in a story published Saturday. The piece received pushback from conservatives, who were quick to point out former presidents George W. Bush and Jimmy Carter for their outspoken faith.
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"It's another example of The New York Times not serving as journalists, but basically as an extension of the communications team for the Biden administration," Concha said on Fox News’ "America's Newsroom."
"Because remember, this is not an op-ed. If this is an op-ed, we're probably not even having this conversation."
Concha said the "straight news piece" focused on Biden’s faith, instead of Carter, "who was the last pro-life Democratic president," or Bush, who was very vocal about his faith "when he was at a podium."
"I don't think that this should be the role of The New York Times in their straight news section," Concha added.
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President Joe Biden speaks about the coronavirus in the State Dinning Room of the White House, Thursday, Jan. 21, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
He questioned whether Biden’s policies warranted the "religiously observant" label.
"If he is so deeply religious and he holds these convictions, then how does that square with him supporting taxpayer-funded abortions?" Concha asked.
He pointed to Carter, who said during his presidency and as recently as 2019, that the Democratic Party needs to change its platform and only support abortions in cases of rape, incest or if the mother's life is in danger.
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"That is backing up words with deeds," Concha said of Carter. "With Joe Biden, he doesn't do that in terms of his policies if you're going to start bringing up how deeply religious he is."
FOX Business’ Evie Fordham contributed to this article.