Jen Psaki, the former press secretary for President Biden who was recently hired by NBC/MSNBC, appeared as a guest on Monday’s edition of The View to defend President Biden’s lack of accessibility to the press.
Co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin, who claims to be a conservative, started off by providing “free campaign advice” to Psaki: “There’s been a lot of criticism of Biden, most recently from The New York Times that he’s held the fewest interviews and press availabilities of any president since Reagan. I personally think it would help dispel some of the concerns about his age if he did more.”
In response, Psaki suggested that it’s difficult for Biden to choose which media outlets to grant interviews to because “the benefit of the media environment right now…is that there are so many choices,” and the goal is simply to “communicate with the American people.” She then played to the massive egos of her hosts by suggesting that Biden should come on The View before doing a press conference. This sparked an excited screech from Farah Griffin and an endorsement from co-host Sunny Hostin.
Psaki continued to argue that it’s better for the American people to hear Biden participate in “real conversations” with friendly hosts. She cited his previous interviews with Howard Stern and the hosts of the podcast Smart List as examples of successful media interactions where he was able to discuss policy in a comfortable and non-threatening environment.
It’s concerning that Psaki believes that “real conversations” only happen with hosts who are known to be sympathetic to Biden and his agenda. By choosing to only grant interviews to friendly outlets, Biden is deliberately avoiding tough questions and scrutiny from a critical press. This ultimately limits the information that the American people receive and prevents them from hearing diverse perspectives on important issues.
Co-host Sara Haines even suggested that she rarely learns anything important from a press conference, claiming that they are just “gotcha moments.” She stated, “Sometimes, as a citizen, when I watch [press conferences] I don’t want just the same catching moment. I want to know what’s going on and I don’t always get that.” This is a revealing statement, as it shows that Haines’s main concern is not with the truth or transparency, but rather with only hearing what she wants to hear.
Like it or not- As the leader of our country, Biden has a duty to be transparent and accountable to the American people. By avoiding press conferences and only granting interviews to friendly media outlets, he is neglecting this duty and perpetuating a narrative that only serves his own interests.