- The game typically attracts more than 100 million
- Biden declined the interview for the second year in a row
- Carville called it a missed opportunity
President Joe Biden’s decision to skip a Super Bowl interview on CBS isn’t just a missed opportunity — it’s a sign that his staff doesn’t have “confidence” in him to deliver, Democratic campaigner James Carville said .
With an estimated audience of more than 100 million people, the chance to talk sports and politics for free during elections seems like an enticing proposition.
Sunday’s game had seen demographic hype, with viewers tuning in to see if the Kansas City Chiefs would repeat amid interest in the off-court romance between Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce.
“If you don’t accept the Super Bowl interview, you have – I don’t know – polling averages, you’re down three points either way. It’s the largest television audience, not even close. And you get the chance that day to do a 20, 25 minute interview and you don’t do it – that’s a sign that the staff or you don’t have a lot of confidence in you.’
Democratic strategist James Carville blames President Joe Biden for turning down the chance for a traditional Super Bowl interview in front of an audience of millions
‘There’s no other way to read this. And he’s not going to have debates. He is old,” Carville continued.
Carville, 79, who helped steer Bill Clinton’s successful 1992 campaign with a ruthless focus on the economy, noted that “I’m almost as old as he is,” but had some blunt comments about age.
‘Are will never get better. You know, today is the youngest you’ll ever be for the rest of your life.”
Carville said the entire Democratic infrastructure needs to be told, “Okay, this is what the president is going to do.” Here’s what he won’t do. And try to do something about it, whatever it is.”
Declining a Super Bowl interview is a ‘sign that your staff doesn’t have a lot of confidence in you,’ said political operative James Carville
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked again about Biden’s decision to skip a Super Bowl interview
But he said the Super Bowl interview rejection “was telling.”
He then tore at the morals in Washington that led to a string of Republicans being appointed special counsel — after special counsel Robert Hur’s bombshell report hit Biden’s mind even as he announced he would not be prosecuted for secret documents.
He also pointed to the trove of Afghan documents in his possession that formed the core of the investigation. “I think he’s obsessed with saying he’s right” in opposing the effort to bring more U.S. troops into the conflict.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Tuesday brushed aside questions about the decision to reject a Super Bowl decision, ahead of a game that ultimately resulted in a dramatic overtime extension.
“The viewers who tune in are tuning in to watch the game, right? They want to see the game, they want to see their favorite team, they want to see a halftime show. “It’s that kind of tradition: the president will find many other ways to communicate with Americans… when the time is right,” she said.
That response came two days before Biden opted to hold a sudden press conference following the release of the Hur report, where he went after reporters and fainted as he referred to President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt.
Last year’s game between the Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles drew 115 million viewers, with a smaller number tuning in to the pre-game show where the president often appears. He chose to also do a Fox News interview in conjunction with that Super Bowl.
Jean-Pierre was asked another Super Bowl question on Monday, but stood by the White House position.
‘We’ve talked about this. We believe that it is of course important to traditionally watch the Super Bowl. And we think there are different ways to communicate with the American people and we’re going to try to find different ways to meet the American people where they’re at,” she said.