A Politico White House reporter criticizes President Joe Biden for answering soft-ball questions during a Hollywood elitist interview but refusing to speak with the press on hard-hitting issues.
Politico reporter Jennifer Haberkorn called out Biden on Friday for doing yet another interview with actor Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, and Sean Hayes on the Smartless podcast for the second time where the hosts gushed over the 81-year-old president.
She pointed out that Biden has refused to interview with White House reporters.
“Number of times Jason Bateman has done a sit-down interview with President Biden: 2. Nearly every print reporter who covers the White House: 0,” Haberkorn wrote on social media.
Number of times Jason Bateman has done a sit-down interview with President Biden: 2
— Jennifer Haberkorn (@jenhab) March 29, 2024
Nearly every print reporter who covers the White House: 0 https://t.co/zjE3PmN1XI
Haberkorn’s tweet was re-shared by several of her peers who work for left-leaning outlets such as The Daily Beast, The Independent, and The New Republic.
The president has routinely skipped out on taking questions from reporters, even during tumultuous times when the country needs answers from its commander-in-chief.
In 2021, Politico reporters Alex Thompson and Tina Sfondeles pointed out that Biden has participated in "just ten" interviews within the first nine months of his presidency.
In comparison, former President Trump participated in 57 press interviews during the same time as Biden.
Last year, the Washington Post criticized Biden for holding fewer press conferences than his predecessors during his first two-and-a-half years as president.
“He has given fewer interviews to major news organizations, despite his promise to restore traditional press relations after the Trump era,” the article stated. “At the same time, the White House is contacting an array of online influencers, social media personalities, TikTok stars, and other nontraditional figures to spread its message, creating an alternative communication network that is different from previous presidencies.”