The Biden re-election campaign faces significant criticism after it was revealed that questions were pre-approved and provided to radio hosts for interviews with President Joe Biden. This revelation comes in the wake of Biden’s debated performance against former President Donald Trump, which had already raised questions about his ability to handle unscripted scenarios.
Andrea Lawful-Sanders, host of “The Source” in Philadelphia, admitted on CNN that she received several questions from the campaign, of which she approved four to use in her interview with Biden. Similarly, Earl Ingram, host of “The Earl Ingram Show” in Milwaukee, confirmed that he was given four questions by the campaign, which he used without modification.
A spokesperson for the Biden campaign did not deny the practice but emphasized that the hosts were not required to use the provided questions. “It’s not at all an uncommon practice for interviewees to share topics they would prefer,” said spokesperson Lauren Hitt.
Following backlash, the Biden campaign announced it would no longer provide pre-approved questions for interviews involving the president. This move, intended as damage control after the debate, has instead led to further scrutiny of Biden’s ability to engage in spontaneous exchanges.
Adding to the controversy, Hitt claimed that Trump’s campaign had similarly set conditions for an interview with a Virginia television station, a claim refuted by Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung. Cheung accused Biden’s campaign of “bullying the media into asking pre-screened and approved questions.”
