A Bloomberg senior reporter recently wondered if President Biden is skipping the traditional network news Super Bowl interview this coming Sunday because he "can’t handle it."
During a segment on "CNN This Morning" Tuesday, Bloomberg senior Washington correspondent Salena Mohsin claimed it is "telling" that Biden is skipping the annual presidential Super Bowl interview ahead of the big game, something, she said, he’s "expected to do."
Mohsin wondered if it’s because Biden or his handlers are worried about the president not being able to answer questions or fumbling his responses during a live interview in front of one of the largest TV audiences possible.
Presidents have given pre-taped interviews with the networks broadcasting the NFL championship game for years now. This year the game is being broadcast by CBS. The practice became consistent starting during President Obama’s first term, though former President Trump skipped an NBC interview in 2018.
2024 will be the second Super Bowl interview in a row that Biden has declined.
The conversation started with network anchors and Moshin predicting whether there would be presidential debates ahead of November’s general election. Co-anchor Phil Mattingly said, "I think I’m in the minority on our team, in that I am convinced there will be debates, and I don’t see any way there is not. Am I wrong?"
Mohsin suggested Mattingly alter his expectations. She replied, "Look, since 2016, everything we were convinced of, we need to throw out. Maybe it will happen, it will happen for different reasons than it used to."
She continued, noting she found it "interesting" that Biden "said no to the traditional 60 Minutes interview before the Super Bowl."
BIDEN SKIPPING SUPER BOWL SUNDAY INTERVIEW FOR SECOND STRAIGHT YEAR
"And to me, him saying no to something that he’s expected to do, a serious interview, he can really get his message out to an audience, just sitting, waiting for him, waiting for his message, is telling," Mohsin said, asking, "Is it because he can’t handle it?"
Co-anchor Poppy Harlow found the interview snub perplexing as well, noting, "And he just did that interview with Scott Pelley less than a year ago for ’60 Minutes.’ Do you have any sense of why no on this one at such a crucial moment?"
The Bloomberg reporter replied, saying, "I have no idea. I mean, just look at that clip we just saw. If he is not able to follow the questions, if his staff is worried that he can connect the dots and find the word that he’s looking for, that’s a problem."
Mattingly then asked if Biden avoiding debates and interviews in the lead up to the election actually backfires and reinforces how old he appears, to which guest and former Republican strategist Lee Carter replied, "Absolutely. I mean the narrative is already there."
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Biden has been routinely criticized for being sparing with media interviews. In 2022, the president gave only seven formal interviews to reporters.
Some members of the White House press corps have criticized his unwillingness to answer their question.
One told Fox News Digital last year, "There are serious concerns in the White House press corps about the way staff are hiding the president… I would be surprised if Biden has another full solo press conference again in the remainder of his political career."
