Biden to Skip Super Bowl Interview For Second Year In A Row

AP Photo/Evan Vucci

President Joe Biden will once again skip the traditional pre-Super Bowl presidential interview for a second consecutive year.

CBS News confirmed that the Democratic frontrunner will not sit-down for an interview before Super Bowl LVIII on February 11th. According to Vanity Fair, Paramount Global news operation had been negotiating with the administration for the president to appear in a traditional conservation formatted interview but the White House declined.

The name of the anchor who would have interviewed Biden has not been revealed. This is the second year Biden has skipped out on the tradition, which generally draws tens of millions of viewers during the most important sporting event of the year. Last year, Biden refused to speak with a news anchor with Fox News.

“We hope viewers enjoy watching what they tuned in for — the game,” said White House spokesman Ben LaBolt in a statement.

Per Vanity Fair:

But the decision may be seen as an intriguing one, particularly as candidates ramp up for the 2024 presidential election. Viewers might have been interested in hearing President Biden talk about recent U.S. strikes on Iranian forces in Syria and Iraq in response to the killing of three American soldiers in Jordan; his views on the Republican candidates, including former President Donald Trump; or even whether he hoped for a win by the Kansas City Chiefs or the San Francisco 49ers.

The White House’s decision to not make President Biden available in 2023 was thought to reflect a strained relationship with right-leaning Fox News. But President Biden, who has not granted many press interviews since taking over the Oval Office in 2021, has seemed to enjoy good terms with CBS News. He has spoken with both Norah O’Donnell and Scott Pelley, and recently granted brief exchanges to Robert Costa and Ed O’Keefe.