MSNBC's Capehart Buries Biden Seemingly Nodding Off During Their Interview

October 24th, 2022 2:34 PM

This could be the biggest bit of journalistic malpractice, and naked pro-Democrat MSM partisanship, in recent memory.

In Jonathan Capehart's sappy interview last week of President Biden, there was only one truly noteworthy moment. It came when Biden seemingly nodded off [see screencap] as Capehart asked whether Dr. Jill supports him running for re-election. Capehart had to jar Biden back awake by calling out, "Mr. President?" Biden nods off during Capehart interview MSNBC 10-22

This was featured on The Reidout on Friday night, and Joy Reid laughed So on his MSNBC show on Sunday, surely Capehart would include that seminal moment among the various clips of the interview he aired. Except, he never did! At 10 seconds into this clip, see the moment Capehart excluded from the Sunday show. 

What made Capehart's burying of Biden's beddy-bye moment even more egregious is that during that same interview, Biden challenged people who doubted his capacity to run again. Said Biden:

"I think the best way to make the judgment is to watch me. Am I slowing up? Am I, don't have the same pace?  In terms of my energy level, in terms of how much I'm able to do, I think people should look."

We looked. Mr. Biden, you have slowed up. You don't have the same pace. Your energy level is down. For gosh sakes, it looked like you fell asleep during an interview! Or maybe he's taking medicines that make him drowsy? 

But Capehart didn't want his viewers to know that, and so he left the most important moment of his interview on the cutting room floor. Outrageous.     

On his Sunday Show on MSNBC, Jonathan Capehart burying the moment during his interview of President Biden in which Biden nodded off and had to be prompted back awake by Capehart was sponsored in part by Farmers, Go Daddy, Apple, T-Mobile, and Fidelity

Here's the transcript.

MSNBC
The Sunday Show with Jonathan Capehart
10/23/22
11:30 am EDT

JONATHAN CAPEHART: Mister president, I can't be with you and not ask you a question concerning my Aunt Gloria, who you may recall was your biggest fan in 2020, because she said, we gonna need an old white dude to go after, to take on an old white dude. 

But when I asked her if you should run for election, and still, she loves you, but, she said she's not sure that you should. Given your age. That was her one caveat, that if Donald Trump runs again, you absolutely have to run again. So let's say Trump doesn't run again. Convince Aunt Gloria that she should stick with you. 

JOE BIDEN: Well, I think Aunt Gloria should take a look, I think it's a legitimate thing to be concerned about anyone's age, including mine. I think that's totally legitimate. But I think the best way to make the judgment is to, you know, watch me. Am I slowing up? Am I, don't have the same pace? 

You know, and that old joke, you know, everybody talks about the new 70s, 50s, all that stuff? It could be, I'm a great respecter or of fate. I could get a disease tomorrow, I could drop dead tomorrow. 

But I, in terms of my energy level, in terms of how much I'm able to do, I think people should look and say, does he still have the same passion for what he's doing? If they think I do, and I can do it, then's fine. If they don't then they should vote against me. Not against me: they should encourage me not to go. But that's not how I feel. I can't even say the age I'm going to be. I can't even get it out of my mouth. I can't, I swear to God it's like, no. Come on, that can't be true! You think I'm joking. You know I am not joking. 

CAPEHART: I know you're not joking

BIDEN: It's just strange. But I think Aunt Gloria should just take a real, hard look. And if she concludes that I am missing a beat, then she should support some other Democrat, if they decide to run.

BONUS COVERAGE: Biden Damns Kamala With Faint Praise—'There's Nothing She's Cut Off From'

When Capehart asked Biden how Kamala Harris is doing, of course he had to claim that she's doing "great," and is "a great asset." What else could he say? That his first and most important decision—choosing the person a heartbeat away from a soon-to-be 80-year-old president—was a mistake?

But there was a telling moment. Whereas at the beginning of his presidency, he and Harris claimed that she was "the last person in the room" whenever he made an important decision, Biden made no such mention of that in the interview. To the contrary, Biden said:

"There is nothing she is cut off from. We engage her in everything."

Okay, so Biden claims Kamala's not given the mushroom treatment: she's not kept in the dark. But Harris not being ":cut off" is a very far cry from describing her as his most trusted adviser. 

Indeed, in saying "we" engage her in everything, Biden implies that there's a "we" composed of the true decision makers: Ron Klain, Dr. Jill, etc., and to some degree Biden himself. And then there's Kamala—not part of the decision-making "we."