(RightIsRight.co) – Joe Biden engaged in a laid-back one-on-one conversation with Howard Stern following criticism from The New York Times about his limited interactions with the press compared to past presidents.
Stern talked to the 81-year-old Democrat about various topics, from praising Biden’s airline reimbursement policy to asking about his family’s political background, school days, and first marriage.
At one point, the “Private Parts” star gushed that Biden had a “very cinematic life,” though it was unclear whether that was a tongue-in-cheek reference to the president’s many questionable anecdotes.
According to the White House Transition Project director Martha Joynt Kumar, Biden’s interviews have been meager, with just 89 conducted during his first three years in office.
At the same time, in their first terms, Donald Trump had given 300 interviews, Barack Obama had given 422, George W. Bush had given 135, Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush had each given 168, and Ronald Reagan had given 189, the tally shows.
When Biden does grant interviews, they often lean towards friendly outlets like MSNBC, and sometimes, recordings are withheld before release.
Moreover, Biden’s press conferences have been infrequent, with only three solo conferences and a total of 33 joint appearances with other leaders.
In addition, during these rare conferences, Biden has been observed reading answers off notecards after receiving questions from a pre-selected list of reporters.
The Times criticized Biden for avoiding interviews with independent news outlets, which emphasized the importance of press scrutiny in a democracy.
While the White House contends that Biden makes himself available by answering impromptu questions, these encounters, totaling 535 so far, are often hindered by helicopter noise and time constraints for thorough questioning.
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