Biden campaign promises not to tell reporters what questions to ask Biden during press events

After two radio show hosts revealed to CNN that the Biden campaign provided them with a list of questions to ask in  their interviews with the President, the campaign has announced it will no longer give questions to interviewers.

“While interview hosts have always been free to ask whatever questions they please, moving forward we will refrain from offering suggested questions,” a source that is familiar with Biden’s booking operation told the New York Post.

This policy change follows President Biden's recent appearances on two radio shows aimed at engaging black supporters. Following the interviews, hosts of both these shows appeared on CNN where the network pointed out they had asked the president nearly identical questions. 

Andrea Lawful-Sanders, who hosts “The Source” on WURD in Philadelphia, told CNN that Biden officials sent her a list of eight pre-approved questions prior to the interview. She then chose four of these questions for her 14-minute interview with the president.

Lauren Hitt, a spokesperson for the Biden campaign, initially defended the practice, stating that it is "not uncommon" for campaigns to provide preferred topics to interviewers.

“Hosts are always free to ask the questions they think will best inform their listeners,” Hitt said over the weekend. “In addition to these interviews, the president also participated in a press gaggle yesterday as well as an interview with ABC. Americans have had several opportunities to see him unscripted since the debate.”

However, the revelation that Biden's campaign was supplying specific questions has fueled perceptions that the President is unable to handle unscripted interviews, raising concerns about his age and mental acuity. The campaign's decision to discontinue the practice of providing suggested questions aims to address these concerns and promote the belief that Biden is capable of engaging in spontaneous, off-the-cuff interviews.