By Ray Cardello for February 11, 2023 Season 16 / Post 15

Super Bowl Weekend has become a national celebration. It doesn’t matter who the teams are who will compete on the field. It is what happens in the host city, in local pubs, or watching the day-long event on your big-screen TV. One of the events that many look forward to is the long-standing tradition of the President sitting down with the network of the Game for an exclusive interview. In this year’s case, the President would sit with one of FOXNews’ best interviewers, Shannon Bream. That would be if the President wanted to continue the tradition, but as of today, he may sit this one out. After all, the Game is played on a Sunday, and we know that Joe Biden does not work weekends. It appears that Joe’s staff will not allow him to participate in an interview where he may have to answer follow-up questions. He would rather sit with George Stephanopoulos or Judy Woodruff, where he can rest assured that nothing he says will go unchallenged.

Joe Biden continues to claim his is the most transparent Administration in history. That does not wash with the actions of this team. Biden has only had 33 press interactions in his first two years. This is a paltry number compared to the more than 200 by Obama and even the 125 by Donald Trump. Biden also has a press office that has proven to be unprepared, unable to give a truthful answer, or maybe worse, refuse to answer. There is little concern for the truth from the Biden Administration, and even Left-leaning bedrocks like the Washington Post or New York Times are souring on the credibility of information emanating from the White House.

Joe Biden sat with NBC and CBS for Super Bowl interviews in the first two years of his term, but sitting with FOX poses a more formidable challenge for the President. Joe’s handlers do not want to take the chance of their man coming off as weak, ineffective, or rambling. The Super Bowl Sunday interview would have a far greater viewership than the State of the Union speech this week. A questionable 72% of Americans graded the State of the Union as favorable. I question that number because that high a percentage would have to include Republicans, and the Right saw nothing favorable in Biden’s address.

Biden still has time to commit to the interview with FOXNews, but if he continues to pass and break the tradition, I would like to see Kevin McCarthy step in to fill the time. This would allow the Speaker of the House to refute claims made by Biden in the SOTU, detail what has been done in 2023, and spell out a platform for a Republican-controlled House of Representatives. This interview would punish Biden for not having the courage or confidence to face the “Evil” Shannon Bream.

It is your call, Mr. President. You can step up and face the tough questions or punt and let Kevin McCarthy shine in the spotlight. My bet says you don’t show up.