Hours after former President Barack Obama returned to the White House to tout the Biden administration’s efforts to expand Obamacare, the evening newscasts returned to their old habits of gushing over their first true love: Barack Obama. While they were drooling over the former President, they spent their entire broadcasts ignoring the latest layer of the ongoing Hunter Biden scandal.
The evening newscasts spent a combined three minutes and two seconds on the Obama visit to the White House. This compares to zero time spent on Hunter Biden.
On ABC’s World News Tonight, anchor David Muir started off his gushing “former President Obama making his first return to the White House since leaving office. President Biden, Vice President Harris right there.”
Muir added that “there was also a little roasting.” Referencing Obama calling President Biden “Vice President Biden.”
CBS Evening News spent less time on the Obama White House visit than ABC but it was still equally pathetic:
NORAH O’DONNELL: Meanwhile, former President Barack Obama returned to the White House today for the first time since he left office to mark the 12th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act. President Biden announced a change in rules that will allow more families to get insurance while lowering costs for nearly one million people.
Over on NBC Nightly News, Lester Holt announced “Barack Obama with his first visit to the White House in five years promoting both an extension of Obamacare as well as President Biden and Democrats who faced sagging polls ahead of the midterms.” He then turned to chief White House correspondent Peter Alexander to continue the coverage:
“Stepping back into what President Biden called the good old days, former President Obama returning to the White House for the first time since leaving office. A reunion of policy and friendship” Alexander said approvingly, before highlighting a moment from the meeting:
ALEXANDER: Both nostalgic and poking fun at a classic Bidenism that punctuated that day 12 years ago.
JOE BIDEN (From March 2010): This is a big f****** deal!
OBAMA: It is to, quote, a famous American a pretty big deal.
BIDEN: Barack, let me remind you, it's a hot mic.
Alexander then hoped Obama would be able to come to the rescue and save Biden’s crumbling approval ratings and prevent Democrats from getting clobbered in this November’s midterm elections:
It’s also an opportunity for the former President to give the current commander in chief and Democrats a boost in a critical midterm election year with President Biden's approval rating plummeting to 40 percent in a recent NBC News poll. 55 percent disapprove and facing challenges like rising crime and record inflation.
Showing how NBC’s first priority is always the well-being of the Democratic Party, Alexander asked Obama what advice he had for Democrats who are “worried about the midterms.” Alexander was happy to exploit their concerns and eagerly reported Obama would be campaigning for the Democrats this year:
OBAMA: We got a story to tell, just gotta tell it.
ALEXANDER: Tonight Obama aides say he’s had President Biden’s back on major issues throughout his presidency and that he’ll be active in support of the Democrats leading into the midterms this fall. Lester?
Back in reality, Fox News Channel’s Special Report covered the latest news out of the rabidly metastatizing Hunter Biden scandal in which it was revealed President Biden “may not have been telling the truth when he said he had no involvement in his son's business dealings.”
Chief Washington correspondent Mike Emanuel reported a shocking new detail that “America's adversaries likely have dirt on Biden inc” and that the “‘New York Post’ exclusively reports that a witness who testified before the Hunter Biden grand jury was asked to identify the big guy in Hunter's planned deal with the Chinese energy giant.”
Emanuel then reported on a story that broke early Tuesday showing White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain reached out to Hunter Biden in September 2012 to help him fundraise for repairs to the Vice President’s Residence:
Fox News has reviewed emails from White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain back in 2012 when Klain was chair of the Vice President’s Residence Foundation. Klain reached out to Hunter Biden in September 2012 for help in raising $20,000 telling him to, quote, keep this low, low key to prevent bad PR. That foundation is a nonprofit used to assist in preserving and furnishing the Vice President's official residence. Critics note Klain's communication with Hunter shows that he knew it didn't look right so he tried to keep it quiet. And yet, when he needed money from the Biden family for his project he went to Hunter Biden.
The evening newscasts drooling over Barack Obama while ignoring Hunter Biden’s mounting scandals was made possible by Capital One on ABC, Fisher Investments on CBS, and Fidelity on NBC. Their information is linked.
To read the relevant transcript click "expand":
ABC’s World News Tonight
4/5/2022
6:52:31 p.m. Eastern [45 seconds]DAVID MUIR: And former President Obama making his first return to the White House since leaving office. President Biden, Vice President Harris right there. The former President and the current President celebrating the expansion of the Affordable Care Act. Of course, which they worked on together during the Obama administration. There was also a little roasting.
[cuts to video]
BARACK OBAMA: Thank you. Vice President Biden [Laughter]-- Vice President. That was a joke. [Laughter] That was all set up.
[cuts back to live]
MUIR: President Biden then signing an executive order urging federal agencies to find new ways to improve health care coverage through the ACA.
CBS Evening News
4/5/2022
6:43:50 p.m. Eastern [15 seconds]NORAH O’DONNELL: Meanwhile, former President Barack Obama returned to the White House today for the first time since he left office to mark the 12th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act. President Biden announced a change in rules that will allow more families to get insurance while lowering costs for nearly one million people.
NBC Nightly News
4/5/2022
7:11:03 p.m. Eastern [2 minutes, 2 seconds]LESTER HOLT: Now to a former President making headlines. Barack Obama with his first visit to the White House in five years promoting both an extension of Obamacare as well as President Biden and Democrats who faced sagging polls ahead of the midterms. Peter Alexander is there.
PETER ALEXANDER: Tonight, stepping back into what President Biden called the good old days, former President Obama returning to the White House for the first time since leaving office. A reunion of policy and friendship.
BARACK OBAMA: Vice President Biden [Laughter]-- Vice President. That was a joke. [Laughter]
ALEXANDER: 44 rejoining 46 to tout the anniversary of his signature health care law and to support President Biden's efforts to expand it.
OBAMA: Nothing made me prouder than providing better health care and more protections to millions of people across this country.
ALEXANDER: Both nostalgic and poking fun at a classic Bidenism that punctuated that day 12 years ago.
JOE BIDEN (From March 2010): This is a big f****** deal!
OBAMA: It is to, quote, a famous American a pretty big deal.
BIDEN: Barack, let me remind you, it's a hot mic.
ALEXANDER: Tonight President Biden announcing a rule change to cap coverage costs for families that he said would allow one million more Americans to get more affordable coverage. But it’s also an opportunity for the former President to give the current commander in chief and Democrats a boost in a critical midterm election year with President Biden's approval rating plummeting to 40 percent in a recent NBC News poll. 55 percent disapprove and facing challenges like rising crime and record inflation.
SENATOR TED CRUZ: The Democrats are in panic mode. They're in freefall because they created this crisis.
ALEXANDER: But tonight, former President Obama with a message for his party.
ALEXANDER: What do you tell Democrats worried about the midterms?
OBAMA: We got a story to tell, just gotta tell it.
ALEXANDER: Tonight Obama aides say he’s had President Biden’s back on major issues throughout his presidency and that he’ll be active in support of the Democrats leading into the midterms this fall. Lester?
FNC’s Special Report
4/5/2022
6:07:08 p.m. EasternBRET BAIER: We have new information tonight about the Hunter Biden scandal. There is a report that the then President-Elect Joe Biden may not have been telling the truth when he said he had no involvement in his son's business dealings. Chief Washington correspondent Mike Emanuel has details.
SENATOR RON JOHNSON: Just hoping that China and Russia doesn't reveal what President Biden and Hunter Biden are well aware of, the full extent of their financial transactions
MIKE EMANUEL: Senator Ron Johnson says America's adversaries likely have dirt on Biden inc. As the "New York Post" exclusively reports that a witness who testified before the Hunter Biden grand jury was asked to identify the big guy in Hunter's planned deal with the Chinese energy giant. Former Hunter business associate Tony Bobulinski spoke about that deal with Fox's Tucker Carlson.
TONY BOBULINSKY: Then it has 10 percent for the big guy held by H. I 1,000 percent sit here and know that the big guy is referencing Joe Biden.
EMANUEL: Some are suggesting it's time for a special counsel to investigate, the White House disagrees.
WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY JEN PSAKI: The President has never had a conversation with the Department of Justice about any investigations into any member of his family. He said that during the campaign and he will continue to abide by that.
EMANUEL: The top Republican on Senate Judiciary Chuck Grassley of Iowa says there is cause for concern.
SENATOR CHUCK GRASSLEY: When there’s people with the Biden name and it looks like they have close relationships with people that are a national security interest of the United States, I think it's a legitimate question to bring up.
EMANUEL: Fox News has reviewed emails from White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain back in 2012 when Klain was chair of the Vice President’s Residence Foundation. Klain reached out to Hunter Biden in September 2012 for help in raising $20,000 telling him to, quote, keep this low, low key to prevent bad PR. That foundation is a nonprofit used to assist in preserving and furnishing the Vice President's official residence. Critics note Klain's communication with Hunter shows that he knew it didn't look right so he tried to keep it quiet. And yet, when he needed money from the Biden family for his project he went to Hunter Biden, Bret?
