President Biden has refused to do a Super Bowl pregame interview with CBS, marking the second year in a row he has avoided the traditional big-game news briefing.
Biden’s decision to skip what is typically the highest-rated television broadcast of the year is puzzling, as it is an easy opportunity to speak directly to millions of voters in a tight election year.
The president, 81, participated in the interview during his first two years in office, when the Super Bowl aired on NBC and CBS, but he abstained last year when Fox News aired the big game.
CBS will air this year’s Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers championship matchup on February 11.
“We hope viewers enjoy watching what they tuned into: the game,” White House spokesman Ben LaBolt, who first reported Biden’s absence from the Super Bowl, told Variety.
President Biden will not give a pregame interview with CBS, the White House confirmed. AP
Super Bowl LVIII will be played in Las Vegas on February 11. Getty Images
A presidential interview has been a feature of nearly every Super Bowl broadcast since Barack Obama started the tradition in 2009.
In 2018, then-President Donald Trump declined NBC’s request to be interviewed before Super Bowl LII after controversially criticizing players who refused to perform during the national anthem earlier in the season.
Notably, Biden has not given many press interviews since taking office.
The Super Bowl attracts tens of millions of fans each year.
Last year’s match attracted a record-breaking 115 million viewers.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn