The Super Bowl teams are set. The stadium in Arizona and pop star Rihanna are ready to rock. But one thing remains a mystery — whether President Biden will sit for an interview with the game broadcaster, Fox.
Mr. Biden hasn’t committed to sitting down with the network, raising doubts about the annual tradition. The White House hasn’t offered much clarity, either.
“I just don’t have anything to preview for you about Sunday,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Thursday when asked about it.
Unnamed executives at Fox told Variety and CNN they are proceeding as if the interview will not take place.
Mr. Biden sat down for recent interviews with PBS NewsHour and Telemundo, making his potential absence more noteworthy. It’s possible the Democratic president, who is considering whether to run for reelection, is deliberately snubbing Fox, given Fox News Channel’s conservative bent and the constant criticism of his performance from prime-time hosts like Tucker Carlson.
The Super Bowl interview is usually a closely watched affair. Fox is a major broadcaster of the NFL, and President Barack Obama tangled with Bill O’Reilly during his terms while Sean Hannity quizzed President Donald Trump in 2020.
Fox News hosts this week openly discussed the possibility of Mr. Biden’s absence.
“We have formally asked for that interview, but we have not received an answer yet, whether they are going to officially do it or not,” host Bret Baier said after coverage of the State of the Union address Tuesday. “We are running out of days.”
