Staff Reports
President Biden has chosen to cozy up with Hollywood celebrities like Conan O’Brien, instead of facing the tough questions from mainstream media outlets. The president taped an interview with comedian Conan O’Brien for an episode of “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend,” which will air on Dec. 20. This comes after Mr. Biden has skirted appearing on major news programs, preferring to hobnob with friendly show-business personalities.
Since taking office, President Biden has steered clear of mainstream media programs like Fox News and has only done one town hall with CNN in October 2021. Instead, he’s opted for low-risk interviews with celebrity hosts like Jimmy Fallon and Drew Barrymore. These interviews have been less about hard policy questions and more about trivial topics like gift-giving and poetry writing. It seems like President Biden is more interested in chatting about poems than addressing real issues facing our country.
Despite promising to restore traditional media relations, President Biden has kept major news organizations at arm’s length. He’s only granted one sit-down interview to a wire service outlet, the Associated Press, and has snubbed The Washington Post and The New York Times. This is a stark departure from previous presidents, as Mr. Biden has given the fewest interviews to major news outlets since Ronald Reagan, according to presidential scholar Martha Kumar.
In comparison, former President Trump had granted a whopping 273 interviews during his time in office. It’s clear that President Biden would rather bask in the glow of adoring celebrities than face the tough questions from respected journalists. It’s time for the president to step out from behind the Hollywood curtain and engage with the real issues that matter to the American people.
