TL/DR –
Two radio hosts revealed they were provided questions from President Biden’s aides ahead of interviews, a move defended as “routine” by campaign spokesperson Lauren Hitt. The hosts were also allowed to ask their own questions, and the practice is not a precondition for interviews. This revelation comes amid criticism of Biden’s campaign for controlling his public appearances to avoid potential blunders.
Radio Hosts Confirm Pre-Approval of Biden Interview Questions
Two radio hosts declared on Saturday that they received questions from aides to President Biden prior to their interviews with him this week. Biden campaign spokeswoman, Lauren Hitt defended this action, saying it’s not unusual for interviewees to share preferred topics.
Biden’s campaign has faced criticism recently for tightly controlling his public events to avoid potential gaffes during unscripted appearances. During a 90-minute debate on June 27, Biden seemed tired and confused, prompting several Democrats, liberal media voices and donors to call for him to drop out of the race.
As part of the campaign’s response, the White House press secretary announced two radio interviews airing on Wednesday. The hosts revealed on CNN that the interviews featured notably similar questions. They confirmed that the questions were approved by them, but proposed by the campaign, not the White House.
Two people familiar with the Biden booking operation confirmed that the campaign will discontinue the practice of offering “suggested questions.” Notably, Trump’s campaign has also undertaken similar actions in the past.
Ingram, one of the radio hosts, later told ABC News, “Yes, I was given some questions for Biden.” He added that he did not have a chance to ask Biden all the questions he wished to ask.
Post-debate, Biden has addressed various questions from the media, but it’s been evident that some questions were negotiated in advance. However, Lawful-Sanders, another radio host, defended the interview process, stating that her priority was to ensure the voices of the Black people were heard.
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