Fox, White House at odds over traditional pre-Super Bowl interview with President Biden
It doesn't look like the traditional pre-Super Bowl interview with the president will be happening this year, as dueling statements from Fox Corporation and the White House stirred confusion Friday.
On Friday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre tweeted that the president "was looking forward to an interview with Fox Soul to discuss the Super Bowl, the State of the Union, and critical issues impacting the everyday lives of Black Americans," but that the White House had "been informed that Fox Corp has asked for the interview to be cancelled."
Hours later, Fox, which is broadcasting Super Bowl LVII on Sunday, suggested the interview would take place after all.
"After the White House reached out to FOX Soul Thursday evening, there was some initial confusion," the Fox Corporation said in a statement. "FOX Soul looks forward to interviewing the president for Super Bowl Sunday."
However, in response to a question from CBS News, a White House official said Friday night the interview had not been rescheduled.
"As we said earlier, we had arranged an interview with FOX Sports host Mike Hill and Vivica A. Fox with the president ahead of the Super Bowl, and Fox Corp had the interview cancelled," the White House official said. "FOX has since put out a statement indicating the interview was rescheduled, which is inaccurate."
The network broadcasting the Super Bowl traditionally interviews the president ahead of the big game.
FOX Soul is a digital network and streaming service launched in 2020 that focuses on Black viewers. Mr. Biden has not had a sit-down interview with Fox News since he became president. The conservative cable channel is sometimes viewed by the White House as too encouraging to the extremes of the conservative base, and at times unfair to the Biden administration.
After Mr. Biden's State of the Union address Tuesday, Fox News' Bret Baier said Fox had "formally asked" for a Super Bowl interview.
"But we have not received an answer yet, whether they are going to officially do it or not," Baier said. "We are running out of days."
Mr. Biden was interviewed by NBC News before last year's Super Bowl, and in 2021, "CBS Evening News" anchor Norah O'Donnell interviewed him before the big game.
First lady Jill Biden is scheduled to attend Super Bowl LVII to cheer on the Philadelphia Eagles against the Kansas Chiefs. Mr. Biden will not attend.