A Philadelphia radio host claims the White House sent him questions for approval before the interview, even as it defended President Joe Biden's mental state in the aftermath of the first 2024 presidential debate.
CNN's Victor Blackwell spoke Saturday with Andrea Lawfull Sanders, host of “The Source” on WURD in Philadelphia. Earl IngramLawful Sanders, host of the “Earl Ingram Show” in Milwaukee, asked Biden “basically the same questions” in a post-debate interview with the president, claiming he chose four pre-prepared questions from a set of eight submitted by the White House.
“The question was sent to me for approval, and I approved it,” Lawful-Sanders said.
“So did the White House send you questions before the interview?”
“Yes, I was asked a few questions. Eight of them. Four of them I approved,” Lawful-Sanders responded.
Biden was at a loss for words on Thursday, even though the White House reportedly provided questions ahead of the interview. Said Lawful Sanders said Biden was “the first black woman to serve a black president.” The gaffe came as the Biden campaign doubles down on its reelection effort and steps up Biden's public outreach.
🚨 Biden told a Philadelphia radio station she was “proud” to be “the first black woman to work with a black president.”
🤦🏻♂️ pic.twitter.com/N2GoOefmFH
— Nick Sorter (@nicksortor) July 4, 2024
In a statement following Lawful Sanders' comments, a Biden spokesman did not deny that he had posed the question to the radio host. CNN.
“It is not unusual for interviewees to discuss their favorite topics. These questions were related to the news of the day and the President was asked about his performance in this debate as well as what he has done for Black Americans,” spokesperson Lauren Hitt said, as reported by CNN. “We do not condition an interview on accepting these questions and hosts are always free to ask the questions they believe will be most helpful to listeners.”
After the debate, some Democratic politicians and members of the media began expressing concerns about Biden's cognitive ability to continue in his job. Guaranteed For Biden's mental health. (Related: 'It's not getting better': ABC's Martha Raddatz discusses fallout after Biden's first post-debate interview)
Biden blamed his poor debate performance on a “bad night” and insisted he was “still feeling good” in a taped interview on Friday night. interview The president gave his first television interview since the debate with ABC News' George Stephanopoulos. The president also offered excuses, including international travel and not being able to “control” CNN's muted microphones.
Biden has relied on cheat sheets and teleprompters since taking office — the Democratic incumbent has been spotted reading note cards detailing which reporters he'll call and what questions he'll ask them during press conferences — but 2024 Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has a habit of going off script.
