Was that a cream puff interview between George Stephanopoulos and President Biden? How did Biden do? What is the goal of the press now? 
Here’s a big question: Why Is the Press No Longer Covering Up for Biden?
Before diving into the interview, see if you can come up with my musical tribute song. Big hint and perhaps a giveaway: The older you are, the more likely you are to come up with the song.
Also, think of a reason for the change in heart by the press. I link to a poll on X with four possible answers.
ABC Interview Transcript: One on One With Joe Biden
Please consider ABC’s George Stephanopoulos’ exclusive interview with President Biden: Full transcript
A Cream Puff Interview?
My answer is no, not even close. And here are a few interview snips that prove the point.
Stephanopoulos : But what has all that work over the last three-and-a-half years cost you physically, mentally, emotionally?
Biden: Well, I– I– I just think it cost me a really bad night, bad run, but, you know, I– George. I have– I’m optimistic about this country. I don’t think we’re a country of losers that he points out. I don’t think America’s in tough shape. I think America is on the cusp of breaking through in so many incredible opportunities. …….
Stephanopoulos: I– I– I understand that, and I’m not disputing that. What I’m asking you is– about your personal situation. Do you dispute that there have been more lapses, especially in the last several months?
Biden: Can I run the 100 in 10 flat? No. But I’m still in good shape.
Stephanopoulos: Are you more frail?
Biden: No. [This is an obvious lie and the public can see it]
Stephanopoulos: I know you
Biden: Come keep my schedule. (LAUGH) [Biden tried to make a joke of this, but I think it backfired]
Stephanopoulos pressed Biden hard with the follow-up questions.
Stephanopoulos: I know you said you have an ongoing assessment. Have you had a full neurological and cognitive evaluation?
Biden: I’ve had– I get a full neurological test everyday with me. And I’ve had a full physical. I had, you know, I mean, I– I’ve been at Walter Reed for my physicals. I mean–uhm yes, the answer.
Stephanopoulos: I– I know your doctor said he consulted with a neurologist. I– I guess I’m asking– a slightly different question. Have you had the specific cognitive tests, and have you had a neurologist, a specialist, do an examination?
Biden: No. No one said I had to. No one said. They said I’m good.
Stephanopoulos: Would you be willing to undergo an independent medical evaluation that included neurological and cognit– cognitive tests and release the results to the American people?
Biden: Look. I have a cognitive test every single day. Every day I have that test. Everything I do. You know, not only am I campaigning, but I’m running the world. Not– and that’s not hi– sounds like hyperbole, but we are the essential nation of the world.
Still Tougher
Stephanopoulos: … the American people have been watching, yet their concerns about your age and your health are growing. So that’s why I’m asking — to reassure them, would you be willing to have the independent medical evaluation?
Biden: Watch me between– there’s a lotta time left in this campaign. There’s over 125 days. [Yes, we watched you repeatedly duck very pointed tough questions]
Stephanopoulos: So the answer–
Biden: They’ll make a decision.
Stephanopoulos: Right—the answer right now is, no, you– you don’t want to do that right now.
Biden: Well, I’ve already done it.
Stephanopoulos: Mr. President, I’ve never seen a President 36% approval get reelected.
Biden: Well, I don’t believe that’s my approval rating. That’s not what our polls show.
A Huge Dose of Arrogance
Stephanopoulos: You know, the heart of your case against Donald Trump is that he’s only out for himself, putting his personal interests ahead of the national interest. How do you respond to critics who say that by staying in the race, you’re doing the same thing?
Biden: Oh, come on. Well, I don’t think those critics know what they’re talkin’ about.
Stephanopoulos: They’re just wrong?
Biden: They’re just wrong. Look, Trump is a pathological liar.
Full Video Interview
I cannot find a YouTube video to embed but here is a Link to the Full Vide Interview.
For most of the clips above, please play the interview starting at the 7:00 minute mark to the 10 minute mark.
At the 8:50 mark Biden mentions a phone call on the morning of the interview. He momentarily forgot who it was with. After stumbling a bit remembered it was Netanyahu.
Hard Hitting Interview
That was a very hard-hitting interview. Stephanopoulos did his job, much better than expected.
There were so many key parts that I did not list them all. I suggest you read the whole transcript. Biden is every bit the liar Trump is, however, Biden is far more polite about it.
Biden’s response is weak and visible to the public. On one hand Biden says he doesn’t need a test then brags he has a cognitive test every day.
Answers like these that prove Biden is hiding something.
If Biden truly believes he is the best person who can beat Trump, then he is as delusional as he sounds.
Press is No Longer Willing to Cover Up for Biden
The interview confirms a new and refreshing development that started the night of the debate.
Across the board, the press is no longer willing to cover up for Biden. But why?
Why Is the Press No Longer Covering Up for Biden?
It’s safe to rule out #1.
If it was #3 we would see some apologies. Has anyone seen a hint of apologies?
So is it #2 or #4 or some combination?
Note that #2 does not imply a conspiracy between news organizations. But it does imply a decision at top of each organization to allow its reporters to pursue individual agendas that collectively appear to be collusion.
It’s a Biden Question
Think of “she” as the liberal media.
“Does she love me with all her heart? Should I worry when we’re apart? It’s a lover’s Biden question, I’d like to know. Does she need me as she pretends? Is this a game and will I win? It’s a lover’s Biden question.”
The liberal media is no longer pretending, no matter what the reason. And the longer Biden stays in the race, the more reporting there will be on every slip.
The press is likely to keep this up this behavior at least until the nomination. Meanwhile, more and more minds will be made up that Biden has been lying and the press has been willing to cover it up.
Once the nomination is final, it will be interesting to see if the Press goes back to its previous ways.
NPR Slams the Interview
As strong evidence the pretending is over, please consider the NPR report on the interview: Six Takeaways from Biden’s High-Stakes Interview.
1. He was better than in the debate, but Biden’s age is clearly showing.
Biden may have calmed some nerves among some political allies with the interview, but he didn’t show the facility and coherence that Democrats would have wanted to see. His thoughts were, at times, scattered and less than clear.
2. Biden showed his stubbornness, for good or ill.
Biden again reiterated that he’s not getting out of the race, and even went so far as to claim that essentially no one else could do the job as well as he is doing it or be a better candidate against Trump.
3. Only the “Lord Almighty” could force Biden from the race — or maybe his closest allies in Democratic leadership.
“If the Lord Almighty came down and said, ‘Joe, get out of the race,’ I’d get out of the race,” Biden said. “The Lord Almighty’s not coming down.”
4. There’s a question of whether Biden thinks Vice President Harris can win or do the job as well.
“I don’t think anybody’s more qualified to be president or win this race than me,” Biden contended.
He later asked, incredulously, who else would have the “reach” he has with allies and whether anyone else could handle foreign policy as well as he can — even though he’s clearly diminished from what he was even a few years ago.
Not even, say, his vice president? Stephanopoulos didn’t follow up with that, but it was curious.
5. This is a critical week for polls.
We are now entering week two after the debate. It usually takes a couple of weeks for public opinion to solidify. Polls this week have shown Biden hurt by the debate — the degree to which is debatable.
So, this is an important period for whether Biden can weather this storm or not. There are Democrats firmly behind Biden certainly. But many, if not most, others are biting their nails and waiting to see what the polls say.
6. This whole episode shows the stark difference between the Democratic and Republican parties.
That Democrats have raised as many questions as they have about Biden’s viability shows a huge difference between the major parties.
One party, the GOP, doesn’t seem to care if two dozen women have accused their nominee of sexual assault, don’t care if he ran a fraudulent foundation and a sham “university,” don’t care if he paid off a porn star, don’t care if he lies repeatedly, and don’t care if he was impeached twice or was convicted on almost three dozen felony counts.
The Democratic Party, on the other hand, is concerned about… Biden’s age, not his character or priorities for the country.
Fact Check Lie
That last NPR sentence above is false if you look at top issues. I will discuss the polls later.
But “the whole episode” shows one thing clearly: The liberal press has been caught in a massive coverup that can no longer be hidden.
Biden’s Dilemma
The longer Biden keeps up this charade, the harder his fall when it happens, alternatively the greater the debacle if it doesn’t.
Some polls are already out and they look nasty. I have some poll coverage coming up. The results are very interesting.
Meanwhile, in case you missed it …
The Unemployment Rate Bottomed a Year Ago, Who’s Impacted the Most?
The unemployment rate has been slowing rising for about a year depending on age group and race. A pair of charts spotlights the issue.
Please consider The Unemployment Rate Bottomed a Year Ago, Who’s Impacted the Most?
I post two charts on race and age. Those chart explain the political polls we see, especially age group.
Reasons:
Biden side of the equation — It’s the campaign cash and influence peddling.
Media side of the equation — Their blatant malfeasance has been exposed. Now they have no choice but to gaslight with the appearance of propriety.
It is patently unbelievable that Biden is involved in any decision making, whether that be what socks he wears to issues of national security and everything in between. He just tries to parrot what his handlers tell him and even that is a struggle. The Biden family is pressuring him to stay in the race, most likely for whatever revenue stream that represents to them from campaign money schemes to crack-ho-Hunter’s influence peddling schemes. After all, the Biden family business is and always has been scheming and grifting. That tiger can’t change it’s stripes.
The media knows you can see right through them and they don’t care. After all, they are in the “Entertainment Industry” (not journalism) and are “paid pretenders” just like Hollywood. They only need their performances to be sufficiently plausible for their peers, democrat masters and irrational core audience to accept the illusion as “fact”.
I don’t think it needs to be any more complicated than that.
“One party, the GOP, doesn’t seem to care if two dozen women have accused their nominee of sexual assault, don’t care if he ran a fraudulent foundation and a sham “university,” don’t care if he paid off a porn star, don’t care if he lies repeatedly, and don’t care if he was impeached twice or was convicted on almost three dozen felony counts. ” According to media reports with no context. And over half the country doesn’t trust the media.
We’re not electing a brother-in-law. I don’t care about his personal life.
Biden is delusional. He was boasting about selling out a middle school, which likely wasn’t even sold out. He might be the only one in the country who believes he can make it four more months let alone four more days.
Pathetic!
Biden has slipped into old age delusion and Trump had slipped into old age demensia where he believes his lies and has angry tantrums if anyone challenges him.
The media flip is plain face-saving.
Nobody wants to be the last one reporting an obvious lie. It is bad for their reputation.
If the media is going to stick with this more realistic perspective, Biden has 0% chance to win. Nobody can win with zero free media support.
It’s not about their reputation but their paychecks.
The media have destroyed their reputations for the past decade, that isn’t going to stop them now.
No, what’s going on is a huge swing behind the scenes among those who actually pay for the media.
To borrow Mish’s metaphor, both WaPo and NYT are starting to sing new tunes.
Both the advertisers and the audience/readers want a new tone, and they’re the ones paying the bills. At least for the portion of the income sheet that’s visible.
Like we do for Biden, we have very low expectations for George Stephanopoulos. This was not a hard hitting interview. Rather it was just a regular interview that managed to get over a very low hurdle.
Watched the debate and the Stephi interview.
Joe keeps singing “Would I Lie to You” – the Eurythmics.
Followed by “It’s A Hard Days Night” – the Beatles.
Dem media is jumping off like rats on the Titanic.
Throwing pool noodles to an obviously sinking President.
“So is it #2 or #4 or some combination?”
… or is it #5:
Press, Dems, Reps are all in the end working for the same leaders.
The leaders do not care who is president as long as they control him and his party.
This whole shit show, that will continue until November, will distract people from voting 3rd party.
This was one of the highlights of the interview
Give Biden the boot!
Absolute power corrupts absolutely!
Joe has been confabulating forever.
He himself does not any longer know which stories are true or not.
Confabulation is different than lying or or dissembling or prevarication, because the goal is not to conceal the truth; rather it is simply to aggrandize one’s own ego, consistent with pathological narcissism. It is pervasive and compulsive, so the lies continue even when the subject has no real interest or benefit in doing so.
You can only hold your breath for so long underwater.
You either surface to breathe or you drown.
The orchestration of the press has finally run into the most fundamental of economic laws:
Mr. Biden is just OVERLY OBSESSED, about to keep the presidency, BUT he’s just MENTALLY, AND, PHYSICALLY Too weak, too OLD. By the way, a Great Replacement for this man, will be the Governor o North f Carolina, Mr. ROY COOPER, he can DO the job MUCH BETTER than Mr. Biden, the SECOND worst Lier, after Mr. Trump,
5: Remorse. This is different from shame. Is it possible these people are developing a conscious about what is happening in this country and the Press contribution to the state of affairs?
Someone is actually understanding that gotcha politics can go too far.
The cynical part of mind would say they are fearful of losing control over the general population and are dumping Biden because he has self destructed and can not be rehabilitated. By unloading Biden they can claim they are masters of the universe again or at least can control peoples minds.
However MAGA in me clutches to the notion that this Nation is not lost but has lost its’ way for a while. So for now will cling somewhat to the Remorse and consciousness raising gambit.
Trump summed it up well, revenge will be found in being successful.
In other words turn the other cheek and move on to solve the real problems of the Country.
The best revenge is living well afterwards.
RE “ Is it possible these people are developing a conscious [sic]” the answer is NO.
What is probable is that their narrative has run out of income generating potential and they smell a much more profitable story ahead if they change the tune.
Speaking of which,
the who – won’t get fooled again super bowl 2010 halftime show
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_czqiDzZ7HU
when 70,000 fans in attendance sing the refrain on que and in unison, it sends shivers down my spine. Even more so when me and 40 million television viewers who knew the song chimed in.
And yet most of them did get fooled, again and again, for the next 14 years…
Joe and Hunter’s only chance of staying out of prison is a second term. Joe is running for his life.
The Big Guy can give a presidential pardon to Hunter. He can also agree to step down in return for getting a blanket pardon for himself and the skank Jill.
Do presidential pardons have to be published? Can they be kept secret to be whipped out only if needed? Is so the Hunter might already have such a pardon in his pocket.
FJB might only be still not resigning as Jill is angling for a juicy payoff. A multi million book deal? A multi million public speaking tour?
There is precedence — Clinton’s pardon were going for $100k while he was on his way out the door.
Not difficult. The press/MSM is nearly 100% liberal, Democrat, progressive, left, call it what you will. They melted down in 2016 when they lost. They’ve been carrying the Democrats water throughout, covering up for the laptop, plastering the falsified 51 intelligence officers Russian disinformation, forcing NPR/PBS (which I also pay for) to not cover disparaging stories. They’ve intentionally lied, pushed proven-to-be false narratives coming out of the White House for years. They would continue to do so, in lockstep, but stopped doing that once he was losing the polls in all the swing states (with my state of Wisconsin oscillating back and forth). Then when the debate prevented them from covering it up any further, they simply realized they could no longer win. I mean they say the border is closed and Biden is sharp as a tack, just a few weeks ago?!!
Not difficult. They WILL lose if he’s the candidate. Frankly I believe they lose if his VP is the candidate. I think the VP will be required to take the oath of office before November as he’s no longer being protected from view and his full-on dementia is on display.
They turned on him because they only care about power, money, corruption, greed, grift. Oddly they don’t care about the country because this isn’t new, other than the degree. He called lids in 2020. He didn’t travel, regardless of the pandemic, to Milwaukee for the nomination (but traveled to Kenosha a week or so later to make political points). He ran from his “basement” because he was already compromised and the media protected him 4 years ago.
Frankly to think he would make it 4 years is ballsy but, when he did, he boxed them into a corner, exposed during the debate.
Your post on them asking for this is spot on. It was an unforced error. It was unnecessary.
The media is complicit and have been on the wrong side of most issues for years. They don’t do their job, they have been softshoeing it all.
I should be enjoying the comeuppance, the egg on the face but I’m not because I long for a press that does its job AND it’s bad for the nation AND the situation is completely lost on those that supported Biden, the left and the complicit media as most of them are pretending that this is sudden, new and they are just doing the right thing yet again. (they aren’t). There is no accountability, no humility, no apology.
It’s why they all gotta go–government bureaucrats, 3-letter-agencies, MSM, the lot.
To use your line in from the UK, throw the bums out.
The Puppet Masters can’t pull the strings of a Puppet that doesn’t exist…
Why the 180 degree change in the medium and the messengers’ perceptions? It’s probably a gestalt switch thanks to the president’s observed debate performance, among other things like Kamala the failed border Czarette etc.. Joe and Kamala are now perceived as Beavis and Butthead with cackles and not fit for selected office any more for doling out the goodies to the messengers and their medium.. The medium is the message. .
Bidens spending programs, civil unrest in the streets and the foreign war situation reminds me of times at the end of the LBJ administration. Johnson cowardly chose not to run rather than face the voters who would cast their votes based upon his record. Similarly today Biden is in the same situation however with his mental state I don’t think he is capable of recognizing how bad the overall picture is. That alone speaks plenty for his current mental capabilities.
Why Is the Press No Longer Covering Up for Biden?
#5: because they were told to.
Probably not. If such were the case, they’d have a name already teed up and the airwaves would be filled with the glory of that name.
Right. Because like I just intimated, the Press has agency.
The Waffle House question:
Biden at Waffle House after debate:
“I think we did pretty well tonight.”
No “bad night”, “cold”, or “jet lag”.
CLUELESS?
After the Iran attack on Israel of April 14, Biden told Israel “If you attack Iran you are on your own”. He also told the Israelis to moderate their retaliatory response. Was afraid Biden was going wobbly on them?
The debate was announced on May 15 at the initiative of Biden campaign insiders. They had to have known that it would expose Biden’s mental decline.
Notice that there is almost no criticism of those that proposed the debate.
Also curious that Hur is a republican yet chosen by Garland as special counsel to investigate Biden’s handling of classified material.
Not that there should be any sympathy for Biden who was a political grifter and plagiarizer his entire adult life.
Perhaps this was why they scheduled the 1st debate so early?
Not from the interview, but earlier today Alex Berenson reported that a Parkinson’s specialist has visited the White House nine times since July of 2023…nothing to see here, move along: https://alexberenson.substack.com/p/very-urgent-a-parkinsons-disease?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=363080&post_id=146337436&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=zgqb&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email
I’ve had relatives who died in part from the effects of Parkinsons. Three years ago I was saying to myself that Biden sure looks like he has early stage Parkinsons. Lack of facial expression isn’t dementia, but it sure is Parkinsons. The fact that Jill had to help him down the single step after the debate also points in that direction. Mouth open too. Not everyone with Parkinsons gets dementia but it’s very common. Even if your mind stays intact you simply don’t have the stamina to deal with every day life, let alone the presidency. Uncle Joe has to go, or at least, the Dem establishment has to force him to take a competent VP so he can be 25th’d nine months from now.
I guess a bigger question is considering the nominees of both parties for a long time now the question has to be asked is whether the primary system is compatible with a viable democratic republic. Aside from the fact that candidates far from the center usually get nominated the fortunes it costs to run in these primaries means that a nominee has been bought and paid for by big donors.
Bought and paid for? Who would think that?
Nobody spends a couple of billion dollars to campaign in the primary’s, then campaign up to Nov 2 and all in the hopes of winning a job that pays about 2 million for 4 years.
So the candidates are front men for big donors and are doing it for a couple of troubling reasons. They are narcissists, they are zealots, they are power hungry or they are after the big payoffs like multi million dollar book deals and speaking tour fees after their term.
Most normal successful people don’t want to be president with all the problems that go with the job (no privacy for self or family, possible assassinations both in and after office and you will be subject to Lawfare). So only the 1% outliers and not the normals in society seek the job be they the narcissist Trump or the pedo grifter FJB.
I vividly remember the song, Mish. Great choice…
I concur with you that the interview wasn’t a cream puff. I do think it could’ve been tougher. Dan Rather back in the day would’ve been my choice. Unfortunately in the MSM we don’t have journalists that ask the real tough questions anymore. The interview should’ve definitely been longer than twenty-two minutes. An hour preferably but I’d have settled for forty-five minutes.
It is my understanding Biden will have his first public press conference since I can’t remember when next week.
My take on the reasons for the interview and the press conference are Biden, the WH staff and some solid Biden supporters that are donors or in the Congress are nervous so they are trotting him out to show that he is capable to lead the nation and contest the election. In short, they know they have big problem not only with the public in general but also some within the Party itself.
Biden has Alzheimer’s and I am not a neurologist either. My mother was diagnosed with it and I along with my wife were her exclusive caregivers for a little over 12 years till we couldn’t mentally or physically adequately take of her.
Biden is experiencing the symptoms my mom had in the middle stages of the disease before it gets worst. At the middle statge both have/had aphasia, their gaits were/are stiff when walking, when walking both sets of arms were/are lack a normal back and forth motion, both had/have a tendency to wander in public appearances, and both of their sets of eyes (the mirror of the soul) are not “focused” when listening or talking consistently. The latter symptom is more of a nuanced detection but once you see it, you know something is wrong and anyone who does see it, their heart cries out for the afflicted one.
Biden could’ve also had a series of mini-strokes too which also are symptoms of the above. But given that Alzheimer’s is a progressive disease, I am more confident that Biden has Alzheimer’s whereas if a stroke it would’ve been noticeable the next day.
In any event, he is not fit to be president.
I think its more likely he has Parkinsons. The 1000 yard stares, the open mouth, barely able to walk. Alzheimer’s doesn’t cause those things.
Parkinsons is my vote. Which is often associated with dementia so in that respect it’s not too different from Alzheimers. Perhaps a little more treatable with recent drugs….
From the leaked democrat emails we know Jake Sullivan was seeking Parkinson’s meds for Hillary. Has she bogarted the whole supply?
I beg to differ. Alzheimer’s patients have all of those symptoms as well.
It could also be Parkinson’s. His hands don’t tremble, however. He may not ever suffer that symptom either so we don’t know.
In any scenario, they are both invidious diseases and those surrounding Biden are doing him a major disservice and I question their affection, loyalty and and love of him and the Constitution.
I think Stef effectively showed the dementia.
I was disappointed that the follow-up to Biden saying it would take an act of God wasn’t: “What about the will of the people?”. Biden sounded like a medieval King declaring his right to the throne comes from God. Big contrast to the first president who could have stayed and didn’t. Now we have Joe staying when he shouldn’t. Seems ” government of the people by the people for the people” has perished from the earth.
Yes and since there is no god, there is obviously no one who is going to unstubborn Biden.
How about the Pope? Could he intercede?
This interview wouldn’t happen if Biden “won” the first debate. No time to celebrate the MSM doing what it should.
It was a pre-recorded interview. How many takes did it require for each question for Jill Biden agree to allow the taped interview to be aired. I hope Biden keeps on faking it until it’s too late.
My guess – precisely 1 and I am certain of it.
I am less certain of editing but those were very hard follow-up questions.
It was supposed to be unedited untouched.
It was but what what wasn’t mentioned was the some portion of the questions was sent to the Biden team in advance.
They aired it unedited, or at least they claimed it.
Four more months! (Dems rallying behind Biden)
The decision on whether Biden drops out is up to Jill, the elder abuser.
Yes. She will name her price and they will pay it. Only then will he drop out. This is all a ruse while Jill and Hunter negotiate the final Biden grift.
Clearly the liberal press…which is the majority of these outlets…had their ’emperor has no clothes’ moment and are scrambling to swap out Biden who is nearly a guaranteed loser in November at this point.
I call it his Hans Christian Anderson moment, after the author of The Emporer’s New Clothes. Different way of saying the same thing. Funny how life can be a fairy tale.
Another regime media fraud revealed. “The Press” has ZERO credibility on anything. Everyone knows their only purpose is concealing the truth from the citizenry, and championing Washington DC’s disastrous policies and endless corruption.