WASHINGTON.- President Joe Biden rarely gives interviews to network television, and his appearance in the MSNBC studio on Thursday came at a particularly turbulent time, shortly after the Supreme Court reversed the use of affirmative action on college admissions. and after a revolt in Russia.
The nearly 20-minute conversation touched on those topics. But he also addressed criticism of the media and included a light-hearted discussion about the late Republican Sen. John McCain, who was a friend of Biden’s.
When Donald Trump was president, he received criticism for giving interviews to media outlets he sympathized with, often asking mild and even fawning questions. Biden, for her part, has given far fewer formal interviews than her immediate predecessor. Her last interview with a network was in early May, and it was also with MSNBC.
On this occasion, interviewer Nicolle Wallace, who was White House communications director during the George W. Bush administration and worked on McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign, opened the session by highlighting how unusual it was for a sitting president to appeared in a television studio.
“The President of the United States is here. Really. At the table,” Wallace began, before telling Biden: “This is very exciting for us.” To which Biden replied: “It’s very exciting for me.”
The president noted that the Supreme Court has “done more to reverse basic rights and basic decisions than any court in recent history,” noting its decision Thursday on affirmative action and last year’s decision to strike down the constitutional right. to abortion.
“I just find her very out of step with the basic value system of the American people,” Biden said.
He noted that he was not in favor of increasing the number of Supreme Court justices, as some progressives have urged to do.
He also spoke about his re-election campaign.
“I know the poll numbers are not good,” he acknowledged. He stressed that at some point some polls indicated that he would not win the 2020 Democratic presidential primary or defeat Trump in the general election the following year, and did not indicate that Democrats would exceed expectations in last year’s midterm elections.
Subsequently, the president elaborated on the media: “This is not a criticism of the press. It is an observation. There is a lot to worry about around the world, and speaking to many of the reporters, they tell me — I am going to be careful what I am going to say —, several reporters have indicated that there are no longer editors, in what they do.
Biden went on to say that some of the reporters have told him they are under pressure to create a personal brand. “I just think there are a lot of changes,” he concluded.
Wallace asked about the revolt in Russia and what the United States knew. Biden responded, “We know things ahead of time,” but he couldn’t say what he meant.
Wallace continued: “Are you concerned that Trump would have warned you if he were still president?”, apparently referring to whether he would have tipped off Russian President Vladimir Putin of the mercenary chief’s plans to revolt against Moscow’s military command.
“Oh, gosh,” Biden responded. “Don’t know. I don’t think about it very often.”
The president spoke a bit more about the war in Ukraine. Eventually, Wallace referenced McCain and asked, “What do you think he would think of this Republican Party?”
“I don’t think he would have been very pleased,” Biden noted, before quickly adding. “Don’t know”.
FUENTE: With information from AP
