WASHINGTON — For the second year in a row, President Joe Biden is giving up the opportunity to sit in on a Super Bowl interview that could potentially be attended by millions of Americans on Sunday, but his advisers say this is a much bigger deal. It is said to be part of a larger communications strategy.
Biden aides believe many voters are tired from an already intense political season and simply want to focus on the game. And they might be uncomfortable seeing the president show up while waiting for kickoff.
But some in his party are concerned about his decision to pass up this opportunity, and they want him to appeal to millions of Americans.
“Either he doesn't have anything to say, or his team is worried about what he's going to say and how he's going to say it,” said a veteran Democratic campaign official. Biden should have given a national address after the recent retaliatory attacks, he added. middle east. “Anyway, that's a problem.”
The broadcast network rotates Super Bowl hosts every year, and for most of the past 15 years has also scheduled a sit-down interview with the president to air before kickoff. A senior administration official said CBS, which holds the broadcast rights this year, offered the president a 15-minute interview that would be broadcast online.
The network told the White House it planned to air three to four minutes of the interview during the Super Bowl broadcast, a source said. The White House was not willing to grant interviews at the start of what may be the longest general election in modern history, officials said.
“We hope our viewers enjoy the game they've been looking forward to watching,” White House communications director Ben LaBolt told NBC News.
Biden's decision not to hold a news conference prompted an immediate reaction from former President Donald Trump, who is expected to be his rival in November, and is happy to do so instead, citing Biden's decision as a frequent Republican. They posted it online as proof of his cognitive state. attack line.
Michael Tyler, the Biden campaign's communications director, responded to Trump's comments by saying, “First of all, these offers are only for the president, not the loser.” “Second of all, people who are going to watch football this Sunday don't want to hear Donald Trump say something terrible about something.”
Mr. Biden's aides maintain that Mr. Biden has given network interviews in the past and would do them again if they felt it would best serve their message. They believe the president has had a busy travel schedule in recent weeks, with numerous engagements that collectively impact millions of voters.
However, the Biden campaign is not distancing itself from the NFL this season. It aired ads in media markets in key battleground states, Michigan and Wisconsin, during Game 1 last fall and on Thanksgiving Day.
Last year, Biden's team had conversations with Fox News about a possible interview. Instead, the White House ultimately agreed to work with the network's lesser-known streaming channel, Fox Soul.
Overall, Biden has participated in far fewer interviews than his predecessor. Trump has given 86 interviews since taking office, compared to 300 for Trump and 422 for Barack Obama so far in his presidency, according to data collected by Martha Kumar of the White House Transition Project. It has been times.
President Trump skipped pre-Super Bowl interviews for a year while in office. Mr. Obama all but established that tradition, participating in interviews every year of his two terms in office.
Biden participated in CBS Super Bowl interviews in 2021, just weeks after being sworn into office, and in 2022, when NBC broadcast the game.
