This much we know: President Joe Biden won’t be doing a Super Bowl interview with Fox before the big game on Sunday.
The conservative-leaning network and the White House pointed fingers at one another Friday over who is to blame for pulling the plug on the traditional sit-down before the kickoff of the Philadelphia Eagles showdown with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Fox said Biden bailed on the interview, which usually attracts an audience of millions. It said it had not heard back from the White House about the sit-down and therefore assumed the White House had decided not to participate.
The interview is usually taped on the Friday before the biggest sports event of the year. Fox lead news anchor Bret Baier had planned to do the honors with Biden.
But White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre blamed Fox for the interview snafu.
Jean-Pierre, a staunch Eagles fan, said Biden agreed to do the interview with Fox Soul, a Fox streaming channel aimed at African-American viewers, but Fox honchos nixed the plan.
“The President was looking forward to an interview with Fox Soul to discuss the Super Bowl, the State of the Union, and critical issues impacting the everyday lives of Black Americans,” Jean-Pierre said.
The sitting president usually does an interview with the main news outlet of the network airing the game. Biden did interviews with CBS News in 2021 and NBC’s Lester Holt last year.
Former President Donald Trump bailed on a planned interview with NBC’s Holt before the 2018 Super Bowl.
Biden did interviews this week with PBS and the Spanish-language outlet Telemundo, in which he admitted he plans to eat guacamole and ice cream while watching the much-anticipated duel between Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts and Patrick Mahomes of the Chiefs.
First lady Jill Biden, who wears her Eagles fandom on her sleeve, plans to attend the game in person in Arizona.
But those interviews will attract tiny fractions of the viewership for the Super Bowl, which airs on Fox and Fox Sports this year.
Biden has had a frosty relationship with Fox since taking office in 2021. He has not granted the network a single interview.
He once called White House correspondent Peter Doocy a “stupid son of a bitch,” although he quickly called to apologize.
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