President Joe Biden did not sit for a pre-Super Bowl LVII interview after all despite a day of conflicting statements from the White House and Fox surrounding the potential conversation, according to published reports.
The White House Friday night said a hoped-for interview with Fox Corp.-owned streaming service Fox Soul had not been canceled and then rescheduled, despite comments from Fox earlier in the day, The New York Times reported.
White House Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre tweeted on Friday that Fox had canceled a conversation between President Biden and Fox Soul personalities that would “discuss the Super Bowl, the State of the Union, and critical issues impacting the everyday lives of Black Americans.“ Later on Friday, Fox released a statement that, after some initial confusion, it would sanction a Fox Soul interview of Biden (as opposed to a Fox News Channel sit-down) before the big game on Sunday. The interview was reported to include Mike Hill and Vivica A. Fox for Fox Soul.
Late Friday night the White House released a statement calling “inaccurate” comments from Fox Corp. indicating that the interview was “rescheduled,” according to The Times.
The statement appeared to end efforts to continue the tradition of an Oval Office pre-Super Bowl interview. Fox News on-air talent had interviewed the president during recent Super Bowls aired on Fox. Bill O’Reilly spoke to President Obama in 2011 and 2014 and to President Trump in 2017. Sean Hannity also spoke to President Trump in 2020. ■
