With just hours to go until gaffe-prone President Biden was set to sit down for an hours-long summit with Russian authoritarian Vladimir Putin, the big three broadcast networks diligently worked to fluff up the confused President Tuesday evening by suggesting that he looked “confident” and “energized.” They also did the bidding of the White House and tried to lower expectations in certain ways.
“Now, sources tell CBS news Mr. Biden arrives at his first summit with the Russian leader with clear eyes and low expectations,” CBS Evening News anchor Norah O’Donnell strangely touted. “Instead, President Biden plans to call on Mr. Putin to cooperate on the world stage and call him out for covert attacks and cybercrimes targeting American commerce and democracy.”
O’Donnell also beamed when noting how Biden had flipped around President Ronald Reagan’s famous adage about dealing with the Soviet Union:
At another summit with Russia held right here 35 years ago, Ronald Reagan sailed he would trust but verify. Well, tonight, in a sign of how much has changed between these two countries, Mr. Biden now says he will insist on verifying before ever trusting Vladimir Putin.
Over on NBC Nightly News, anchor Lester “fairness is overrated” Holt marveled at how “two of the world's most powerful men, Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin, will sit down with each other just hours from now airing out differences, staking out positions, and perhaps engaging a bit of gamesmanship.”
Holt also did some editorializing. After noting that the serious topic of nuclear arms was “on the table,” Holt suggested Biden was looking “energized after meeting with European allies.” “President Biden arriving here in Switzerland late today declaring he’s ready,” he said.
Also looking to downplay some of “the expectations,” Holt wondered: “Will Putin play ball? Does he need to?”
Boasting of Biden’s preparedness was echoed on ABC’s World News Tonight by sensationalist anchor David Muir. “Tonight, the President telling reporters he is ready. And we're learning more from the White House on how the President prepared for this,” he announced.
ABC, like the other networks, took repeated swipes at former President Trump for his meeting with Putin:
Tomorrow, the leaders will hold their summit here at a public park in a sprawling chateau called Villa La Grange with views of Lake Geneva. And afterward, we have learned, there will not be a joint news conference; unlike former President Trump, standing side-by-side with President Putin, telling the world that he believed Putin over his own U.S. intelligence community on meddling in our elections.
Chief White House correspondent Cecilia Vega built off Muir and began the video portion of the segment by boasting about Biden’s confidence in the face of the former KGB agent. “On the eve of his high stakes summit with the man he’s called a killer, tonight, President Biden sounding confident,” she cheered.
This fluffing up of Biden’s position ahead of the summit followed their Monday swooning for the President’s meetings with NATO leaders.
The network spin about President Biden’s position and lowering of expectations were made possible because of lucrative sponsorships from Fidelity on ABC, Consumer Cellular on CBS, and Fisher Investments on NBC. Their contact information is linked so you can tell them about the biased news they fund.
The transcripts are below, click "expand" to read:
ABC’s World News Tonight
June 15, 2021
6:32:33 p.m. EasternDAVID MUIR: And good evening tonight from Geneva, Switzerland, on the eve of a high stakes summit between President Biden and Russia’s Vladimir Putin. Their first meeting since President Biden took office. And certainly, the President's biggest test yet on the world stage.
Tonight, what we have learned here, who will be in that room, how long this will go. They're actually expecting their meetings to last for four to five hours. This will all begin around 7: 00 A.M. Eastern time, tomorrow morning U.S. time, about early in the afternoon here in Geneva.
And of course, that key question: How will the U.S., how will President Biden, measure success?
The President arriving here in Geneva, the seventh day of his trip, after the G7 summit. The NATO summit. And meetings with other European leaders. Tonight, the President telling reporters he is ready. And we're learning more from the White House on how the President prepared for this.
Tomorrow, the leaders will hold their summit here at a public park in a sprawling chateau called Villa La Grange with views of Lake Geneva. And afterward, we have learned, there will not be a joint news conference; unlike former President Trump, standing side-by-side with President Putin, telling the world that he believed Putin over his own U.S. intelligence community on meddling in our elections.
President Biden in this summit will likely talk about election interference. Also about cyberattacks on our government. And then those Russian-based attacks on our infrastructure affecting gas prices and the U.S. meat supply. And of course, that's just the beginning.
The Russians have brought up the idea of a prisoner swap. Two former Marines are being held in Russia. And President Biden, who once said he did not believe Putin had a soul, telling our Cecilia Vega coming into this summit that Putin is a “worthy adversary.”
(…)
[Cuts to video]
CECILIA VEGA: On the eve of his high stakes summit with the man he’s called a killer, tonight, President Biden sounding confident.
(…)
CBS Evening News
June 15, 2021
6:32:09 p.m. EasternNORAH O’DONNELL: Good evening, and thank you for joining us. We are going to begin tonight right here in Switzerland where just hours from now President Biden will face off with Russia's Vladimir Putin in what may be the most consequential and contentious showdown of his presidency.
Now, sources tell CBS news Mr. Biden arrives at his first summit with the Russian leader with clear eyes and low expectations. Relations between the U.S. and Russia have all but broken down, and tonight the White House says there's little hope for a major breakthrough. Instead, President Biden plans to call on Mr. Putin to cooperate on the world stage and call him out for covert attacks and cybercrimes targeting American commerce and democracy.
At another summit with Russia held right here 35 years ago, Ronald Reagan sailed he would trust but verify. Well, tonight, in a sign of how much has changed between these two countries, Mr. Biden now says he will insist on verifying before ever trusting Vladimir Putin.
CBS' Ed O’Keefe is also here with reporting on one of the topics expected to be addressed tomorrow-- those Americans being held prisoner in Moscow. But first, CBS's Nancy Cordes is here traveling with the President and I going to lead off our coverage. Good evening, Nancy.
NANCY CORDES: Norah, everything we are going to see at this summit here tomorrow is going to be highly choreographed. The Americans leaving as little to chance as possible in order to avoid surprises. In fact, Presidents Biden and Putin won't even share a meal, even though they'll be sitting together in a room for hours.
[Cuts to video]
President Biden says he's going into this summit with full European support.
(…)
NBC Nightly News
June 15, 2021
7:01:49 p.m. EasternLESTER HOLT: Good evening from Geneva where across the lake behind me two of the world's most powerful men, Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin, will sit down with each other just hours from now airing out differences, staking out positions, and perhaps engaging a bit of gamesmanship.
With issues as serious as nuclear arms on the table, President Biden arriving here in Switzerland late today declaring he’s ready, appearing energized after meeting with European allies. Tonight, we’re learning details of how this summit will work and why we won't see the two together afterwards.
Also, the expectations. It was President Biden who got this summit rolling. Will Putin play ball? Does he need to?
(…)
