Biden Presser Reaction: A Very Mixed Bag From The Networks

Posted • July 13, 2024: Reaction to the much-ballyhooed Biden “big boy” press conference was mixed across the dial. Each of the major broadcast networks carried the presser. Each came away with their own unique spin on what was billed as a “make-or-break moment” for Biden. ABC News reacted with despondence and doom, in a tone slightly less funereal than for President Joe Biden’s interview with George Stephanopoulos. ABC’s was the most overtly political coverage, with its focus on whether Biden did enough to remain on the ballot.

The mood, only slight less funereal than last week, but funereal nonetheless. ABC’s coverage could be summed thusly, after David Muir’s monologue: Mary Bruce did her Mary Bruciest to convey The White House’s elation over the overall presser, before admitting that Democrats are not fully reassured about Biden. Then came Rachel Scott, conveying House members’ concerns, saying “they cannot believe” they have to defend Biden’s age. Finally, Jon Karl comes on to say that this was not enough. Over at CBS, there was more of a focus on the foreign policy component of the press conference, and away from the cognitive decline stuff. This bit from Chief White House Correspondent Nancy Cordes is most emblematic of CBS’s post-presser coverage.

NBC tried to strike more of a balance between Dems’ ballot doom and the foreign policy aspects of the press conference, but ultimately slid back to Dem ballot doom. There was some attempt to mitigate Biden’s “Vice President Trump” gaffe with former President Donald Trump’s own mixups, to little avail. It is clear that the press conference gave the Regime Media the worst of all possible outcomes. President Biden did just enough to continue to hang on. He converted the 3rd and 2 into a first down. He keeps pressing on, and the clock continues to tick. Meanwhile, the Regime Media will continue to advocate for Regime Change. (…)

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https://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/nb/jorge-bonilla/2024/07/12/biden-presser-reaction-very-mixed-bag-networks