That sounds like a pretty standard campaign move to me.
I know, right? My first thought was, “Yeah, that’s how it works…”
And not just campaigns. People who are interviewed on TV commonly provide a list of questions to their host.
I participated in a TV interview once, and was surprised to find that everyone got together beforehand to outline the interview, eg “OK first you can ask me about X, and I’ll answer Y so maybe you could follow up with Z, etc”
This isn’t a real interview, it’s a sales tour. Of course they’re going to do this.
This sort of thing happens even when nobody is selling a book or other product.
It’s just easier for the host (who won’t need to prepare as much) and the guest (who won’t be caught off guard).
“We do not condition interviews on acceptance of these questions, and hosts are always free to ask the questions they think will best inform their listeners,” the Biden campaign told ABC News on Saturday.
This doesn’t make sense…
They were sent the questions by the campaign, “approved” 4, and then the campaign choose the ones she approved?
It’s backwards from how it should work…
On CNN earlier Saturday, Andrea Lawful-Sanders, the host of WURD’s “The Source,” said Biden officials provided her with a list of eight questions ahead of their interview with Biden.
“The questions were sent to me for approval; I approved of them,” she said.
“I got several questions — eight of them,” she continued. “And the four that were chosen were the ones that I approved.”
It’s a new thing to compensate for his poor performances, the article lists two other examples pre-debate where the campaign was more “you should ask about these topics”.
These interviews are being presented to voters as Biden being able to think on he’s feet.
The campaign sent eight questions.
The host approved four questions for her show. Those four were among the eight.
