White House press secretary criticizes New York Times reporting on Biden's age, mental fitness
While on board Air Force One Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre criticized the New York Times for its recent reporting on Biden's mental fitness.
Vice President Kamala Harris was confronted to her annoyance last year by New York Times publisher A.G. Sulzberger over President Biden avoiding interviews with major newspapers, according to a new report.
In a piece highlighting an ongoing feud between the Biden White House and The New York Times, Politico Magazine reported Thursday that Sulzberger confronted Harris for several minutes last May, when she visited the Times headquarters for an off-the-record meeting with reporters.
After Sulzberger questioned Harris on why Biden had not done sit-down interviews with major newspapers, including his own, Harris told him to get in touch with the White House press office. She later "grumbled" to her aides, Politico reported, about the exchange being a waste of time.
New York Times publisher A.G. Sulzberger reportedly questioned VP Harris about why President Biden hasn't sat down for an interview with the paper. (Left: Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images, Center: Ron Sachs/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images, Right: (Monica Schipper/Getty I)
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The Politico report outlined growing frustrations and mistrust between the administration and The New York Times, with Biden aides saying the paper feels too "entitled" to special treatment, while those at the Grey Lady feel Biden isn't "being realistic" about its role.
The New York Times confirmed the account of Sulzberger confronting Harris and chastised Biden for his historic avoidance of one-on-one interviews. It also said it was untrue that the Times had in any way altered its coverage out of frustration with the president for not sitting down with its reporters.
"Biden has granted far fewer press conferences and sit down interviews with independent journalists than virtually all of his predecessors. It is true that The Times has sought an on-the-record interview with President Biden, as it has done with all presidents going back more than a century," spokesman Charlie Stadtlander told Fox News Digital. "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.
"In meetings with the Vice President and other administration officials, the publisher of The Times has focused instead on a higher principle: That systematically avoiding interviews and questions from major news organizations doesn’t just undermine an important norm, it establishes a dangerous precedent that future Presidents can use to avoid scrutiny and accountability," he continued. "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. Finally, the notion that any line of coverage has been ordered up or encouraged in retaliation for declining an interview, or any other reason, is outrageous and untrue."
The Times publisher revealed in February that the White House was "extremely upset" about The New York Times’ coverage of Biden's age.
President Joe Biden speaks to the National Action Network Convention remotely from the South Court Auditorium of the White House, Friday, April 12, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
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Biden has only sat down for two print interviews, with The Associated Press and The New Yorker, since becoming president, according to Politico. Biden has done several friendly interviews with liberal reporters or comedians.
Most recently, he joined late night host Seth Meyers for an interview in late February, and did a sit-down with MSNBC's Jonathan Capehart in March. He also did an interview with Nexstar's Reshad Hudson in mid-April.
Harris sat for an interview with New York Times podcast host Astead Herndon in August 2023, which aired on NYT's "The Run-Up" podcast in November.
Sulzberger has argued that only an interview with his outlet could confirm whether America's oldest president is mentally fit enough to serve a second term, Politico reported, citing people familiar with Sulzberger's private remarks.
New York Times publisher A.G. Sulzberger has pushed for President Biden to sit down for an interview with his newspaper or another major outlet. (Michael Cohen/Getty Images for The New York Times/Anna Moneymaker)
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"All these Biden people think that the problem is Peter Baker [a NYT White House reporter] or whatever reporter they’re mad at that day," a journalist from the New York Times told Politico. "It’s A.G. He’s the one who is pissed [that] Biden hasn’t done any interviews and quietly encourages all the tough reporting on his age."
The White House said it did not comment on private discussions with reporters and editors.
"As a White House that believes deeply in the role of the free press in American Democracy, we would note that a mutually honest, fact-based, respectful back-and-forth is a cornerstone of any healthy relationship between a media outlet and an administration," White House spokesman Andrew Bates told Fox News Digital. "We have that kind of dialogue with The New York Times and many other media organizations."
Harris' office did not respond to a request for comment.
Fox News' David Rutz contributed to this report.