President Biden nearly busted another presidential norm on Friday by causing drama with the traditional pre-Super Bowl interview with the game’s broadcaster as, this year, it was Fox. He might have taken the advice of ABC’s The View as the cackling coven vehemently opposed him opening himself up to accountability, even accusing anchors Bret Baier and Shannon Bream – respected throughout the industry – of pushing “conspiracy theories.”
After announcing that Fox News would be doing the interview (which learned later was actually Fox Soul), Joy Behar called it “a problem.” “So, he would be interviewed by a Fox News journalist, Bret Baier or somebody like that. And it would give Biden the chance to get his message out to a huge, huge audience. So, the question is should he do it?” she asked the cast.
Racist co-host Sunny Hostin argued that Biden should throw the tradition in the trash (despite him sitting down with friendly NBC News last year) and scoffed at the interview getting roughly 20 million people watching it because the State of the Union got more:
HOSTIN: I don't think he should. I know that it's a tradition. The pregame show, this pre-interview would only get about 20 million viewers. I think he got 27.3 for State of the Union. So, people have seen him, they've heard him. And I don't think you normalize the misinformation network.
SARA HAINES: Did he get more on the State of the Union than Super Bowl?
HOSTIN: Yes. The pre-game.
Despite Haines’s surprise at the numbers, 20 million was nothing to shake a stick at especially for a single network to yield. The State of the Union might’ve had that 27.3 million but that’s the collective total of all the news outlets that broadcasted it. That 20 million was eight times the number of people who watched The View last season.
Hostin, possibly jealous of the positive reputation of her former Fox News colleagues, lashed out at Baier and Bream with false smears. “And I have trouble believing that he should sit down with a Shannon Bream or even with a Brett Baier because the bottom line is, they work for a network that puts forth conspiracy theories, they're election deniers,” she lied. One of her complaints was that host Tucker Carlson called Biden a "mannequin president."
And since Hostin called Fox News “the misinformation network,” here are a couple of fact-checks NewsBusters did on The View’s lies, just from this week. And for the insult of Biden, Hostin routinely calls Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) "DeathSantis."
Further down the table, faux conservative co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin argued that there were respected journalists at Fox News but attacked their viewers.
Haines agreed that Fox News had “real journalists” and said it was “a great opportunity” for Biden to “take a chance” on, and “[i]f they're shopping in conspiracy theories, call them out in real-time.”
But she went on to argue that it wasn’t “strategically” advantageous for him to go on a network that would actually challenge him:
But if I were strategically advising him, I would say on the heels of such a great State of the Union, those moments they had, and all the talk the next day, that there's more to lose than gain if you were to get into a weird back and forth or something like that. So, I don't know if strategically he needs to do it.
Farah Griffin spoke up again and noted Transportation Secretary “Pete Buttigieg does Fox a lot and I think it’s been very – been helpful for him.” Hostin bitterly shot back that “he's so much smarter than all of them, so it's easy for him. I mean, that’s a no-brainer.”
No brains indeed.
The View’s hatred for right-leaning news organizations was made possible because of lucrative sponsorships Consumer Cellular and Norton. Their contact information is below.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
ABC’s The View
February 10, 2023
11:06:18 a.m. EasternJOY BEHAR: So, the game airs on Fox this year. See? That's the problem. So –
[Laughter]
AUDIENCE MEMBER: That is a problem.
BEHAR: It's a problem. So, he would be interviewed by a Fox News journalist, Bret Baier or somebody like that. And it would give Biden the chance to get his message out to a huge, huge audience. So, the question is should he do it?
There is the issue of they still say that he wouldn't really win the election. Those people over there at Fox. They're not -- they keep saying he's a liar when they're the liars. Why would he go over there?
SUNNY HOSTIN: I don't think he should. I know that it's a tradition. The pregame show, this pre-interview would only get about 20 million viewers. I think he got 27.3 for State of the Union. So, people have seen him, they've heard him. And I don't think you normalize is misinformation network.
SARA HAINES: Did he get more on the State of the Union than Super Bowl?
HOSTIN: Yes. The pre-game.
And I have trouble believing that he should sit down with a Shannon Bream or even with a Brett Baier because the bottom line is, they work for a network that puts forth conspiracy theories, they're election deniers. During Tucker Carlson's show on Tuesday, coming just before the State of the Union addressed, they called him a mannequin president has left the White House. I mean, this is just constant. Basically, people are more willing – Fox viewers – are more willing to embrace conspiracy theories around COVID.
(…)
11:08:49 a.m. Eastern
HAINES: I would say although I totally agree with what Alyssa is saying there are real journalists and I think you have to go where people are regardless of who those people are and take a chance. If they're shopping in conspiracy theories, call them out in real-time. Because I think you go there and I think that has a powerful message.
But if I were strategically advising him, I would say on the heels of such a great State of the Union, those moments they had, and all the talk the next day, that there's more to lose than gain if you were to get into a weird back and forth or something like that. So, I don't know if strategically he needs to do it.
It is a great opportunity.
ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN: Pete Buttigieg does Fox a lot and I think it’s been very – been helpful for him.
HOSTIN: Well, he's so much smarter than all of them, so it's easy for him.
FARAH GRIFFIN: Oh!
HOSTIN: I mean, that’s a no-brainer.
(…)
