Thursday is reportedly when we should expect former Vice President Joe Biden to formally announce his 2020 campaign for president. After fawning for Biden’s many hints for over a month, ABC and CBS were excited during their Tuesday evening broadcasts. Not so much for NBC, who brought up some of Biden’s lowest moments for liberals.
ABC’s World News Tonight was all in for hyping Biden as sensationalist anchor David Muir announced “the major new headline tonight in the race for 2020. Former Vice President Joe Biden will announce he's running this week in a video Thursday morning.”
Terry Moran, ABC’s senior national correspondent, seemed enthused to share the Biden campaign’s plans for the rollout:
He's clearly raring to go. And that Thursday morning announcement declaring he is running, he’ll be the 20th candidate in this crowded Democratic field so far. He’ll do some media, and then his first campaign event Monday at a Teamsters hall in Pittsburgh emphasizing that lunch pail, labor union politics that he’s always championed. He's -- the third time that he has been running for president, the first, way back in 1987.
With a New New Hampshire poll showing Biden now in second place behind Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, Muir wondered if the Biden camp felt any pressure to get in. “They’ve laid this plan out but they know in a crowded field, he’s got to get in,” Moran explained. “He’s got to get in and make his argument that whatever he's done in the past, he can serve this country going forward.”
As for the CBS Evening News, political correspondent Ed O’Keefe began by also giving a breakdown of Biden’s rollout. “It's Biden's third run for the White House, and the first with him at the front of the pack, according to the latest polls,” he added, ignoring the new New Hampshire poll.
As O’Keefe was wrapping up his report, anchor Jeff Glor really wanted to nail down the date of Biden’s announcement. “He was planning to announce on this day, expected to announce on this day. What's taking the former Vice President so long to make up his mind,” Glor wondered.
But even with O’Keefe’s answer, Glor wanted to make extra sure Biden was jumping in on Thursday:
O’KEEFE: But once the news officially surfaced today, one of his aides-to-be, relieved that it's finally happening, reached out to say, quote, "This is going to be quite a ride." Jeff.
GLOR: But they think it is Thursday, definitely now, Ed?
O’KEEFE: Latest guidance now is Thursday.
Meanwhile, on NBC Nightly News, chief White House correspondent Hallie Jackson sounded a little less than plus about the announcement. After bringing up Biden’s recent controversies regarding touching women inappropriately, she recalled: “And while his decades-long record includes support of the Violence Against Women Act and same-sex marriage, he'll probably field questions about his vote to authorize the Iraq war, and Justice Clarence Thomas's confirmation hearing.”
Neither ABC nor CBS mentioned Biden's touching controversy.
The transcripts are below, click "expand" to read:
ABC’s World News Tonight
April 23, 2019
6:40:26 p.m. EasternDAVID MUIR: Next to the major new headline tonight in the race for 2020. Former Vice President Joe Biden will announce he's running this week in a video Thursday morning. So, let's get right to ABC’s senior national correspondent Terry Moran. And Terry, a lot of speculation surrounding Joe Biden and for a long time now, it's not been a matter of if, but when.
TERRY MORAN: When. He's clearly raring to go. And that Thursday morning announcement declaring he is running, he’ll be the 20th candidate in this crowded Democratic field so far. He’ll do some media, and then his first campaign event Monday at a Teamsters hall in Pittsburgh emphasizing that lunch pale, labor union politics that he’s always championed. He's -- the third time that he has been running for president, the first, way back in 1987.
MUIR: The 20th Democratic candidate, as you point out. And Terry, while we have you, many of the national polls show that Biden is leading among the Democrats running. But look at this snapshot, tonight. This is from a key battleground, a New Hampshire poll just out tonight showing Bernie Sanders in the lead, then Joe Biden, then Pete Buttigieg. Did Biden’s team sense they really needed to get in, and fast?
MORAN: It was time. They’ve laid this plan out but they know in a crowded field, he’s got to get in. And given his long history, which can be both a plus and a minus, elections are generally about tomorrow. He’s got to get in and make his argument that whatever he's done in the past, he can serve this country going forward. David?
MUIR: The race heating up. Terry Moran tonight, Thank you.
CBS Evening News
April 23, 2019
6:37:17 p.m. EasternJEFF GLOR: Former Vice President Joe Biden is expected to jump into the race for president on Thursday now. He is expected to join 20 other candidates running for the Democratic nomination, a large field that is already divided over the question of whether the House should begin impeachment hearings against the president. Here's Ed O’Keefe.
[Cuts to video]
ED O’KEEFE: After months of anticipation, he's finally getting in.
JOE BIDEN: You build America! We build America!
O’KEEFE: The former Vice President will launch his campaign with a video announcement on Thursday, followed by an official kickoff rally in Pittsburgh next week. It's Biden's third run for the White House, and the first with him at the front of the pack, according to the latest polls. But at 76, he'll be the second oldest of the 20-candidate field seeking support from an increasingly younger, liberal Democratic electorate. And the field he'll join is now clearly divided over how much to focus on impeaching President Trump.
(…)
6:39:24 p.m. Eastern
[Cuts back to live]
GLOR: Ed, so, on the former Vice President, it feels like we've been hanging on this for a while, we’ve gotten a lot of guidance. He was planning to announce on this day, expected to announce on this day. What's taking the former Vice President so long to make up his mind?
O’KEEFE: It's a good question, and the reality is that Biden is building a campaign from scratch, unlike some of his opponents, he hasn't run for anything on his own in more than a decade. So that's made it confusing as to exactly when, where, and how he plans to launch his bid. But once the news officially surfaced today, one of his aides-to-be, relieved that it's finally happening, reached out to say, quote, "This is going to be quite a ride." Jeff.
GLOR: But they think it is Thursday, definitely now, Ed?
O’KEEFE: Latest guidance now is Thursday.
GLOR: Okay, Ed O’Keefe, thank you very much.
