HOLT-BIDEN INTERVIEW: The Temperature Has Not Been Lowered

Jorge Bonilla
July 15th, 2024 11:26 PM

Text to Speech

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NBC’s Lester Holt sat down with President Joe Biden for a much-hyped interview that would kick off Biden’s counterprogramming of the Republican National Convention, which kicked off tonight. Despite President Biden’s calls to lower the temperature in the wake of the failed attempt to assassinate former President Donald Trump, his rhetoric remains pretty much the same and met little pushback from Holt.

The interview begins with a question about the assassination attempt. Biden immediately cited the thoroughly debunked “Fine People Hoax” as part of the divisive rhetoric, with zero pushback from Holt.

After stumbling his way around the “bullseye” answer (“I didn’t say crosshairs”), Biden insists on calling Trump a “threat to democracy”, and repeats the debunked “Bloodbath Hoax”. There was some modest pushback this time. 

Holt asks Biden whether the shooting has changed the trajectory of the race. Interesting that Biden says he’s thinking about what coverage Trump will draw from the media going forward.

In furtherance of all the temperature-lowering, Biden lied yet again about a statement made by Donald Trump, again, with no pushback from Holt.This time, about January 6th.

When asked about Judge Cannon’s decision to dismiss the Mar-a-Lago documents case, Biden twice makes reference to a Justice Thomas dissent in the immunity opinion recently issues by the U.S. Supreme Court (Trump v. U.S.). 

Finally, Holt asks the candidacy question. Biden digs in.

A frustrated Biden complains to Holt about the coverage he’s received.

When asked whether he’d do an additional debate, Biden states he’s out there doing interviews without notes. Interesting, given the most recent press conference which featured note cards.

Finally, Biden is asked what he’d do if he has another debate malfunction after receiving the nomination. Biden again whines about the press he’s getting.

From watching this interview, with its blatant mischaracterizations and unchecked untruths, one wonders whether Biden remembers the words he read from the Teleprompter on Sunday. Between that and Holt’s acquiescent lack of pushback or fact-checking, with its laser focus on potential withdrawal from the presidential race, we are reminded of the things that have contributed to the current political environment and led to calls for a “lowering of the temperature”. Tonight’s interview did not serve that purpose.

 

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