CNN host Jake Tapper on Thursday slammed a Milwaukee radio station for editing an interview at the request of President Joe Biden's campaign.
The network, Civic Media, agreed to remove two short segments of the interview at the request of the Biden campaign, following calls for Biden to withdraw from the 2024 race following his infamous debate performance.
“We need to be aware that editing answers because a politician or their campaign doesn't like it, or because the politician doesn't like how they sound, is a journalistic no-no,” Tapper said. “We don't know exactly why, but maybe one day the Biden campaign will tell us.”
In the first edited section, Biden said, “Black people [his] Another deleted segment showed the president appearing to stumble over his words as he criticized former President Donald Trump's response to the 1989 rape of a woman jogging in Central Park.
Jake Tapper slammed a Milwaukee radio station for editing his interview at the behest of the Biden campaign. pic.twitter.com/x98GYtfYco
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) July 11, 2024
Arencia Johnson, a former senior adviser to the Biden campaign, said the incident will make it more difficult for Democrats to address concerns about Biden's age and mental health that have surfaced since the June 27 debate.
“This is not helpful, but at the same time, we have to keep putting him out there because at this point he is the candidate and we have to keep talking about the threats on the other side,” she said.
The president has been making increased media appearances in an effort to allay concerns about his ability to serve a second term, giving an interview to ABC News' George Stephanopoulos on Sunday to answer questions about his debate performance and his political future, and is scheduled to hold a rare news conference on Thursday evening.
In a video of him on the street after the interview, Stephanopoulos expressed doubts about whether Biden could “serve another four years.”
Thirteen Democrats have called for him to drop out of the presidential race amid concerns they cannot beat President Trump.
