Posted: Feb 12, 2023 / 04:44 PM CST | Updated: Feb 12, 2023 / 04:56 PM CST
FILE: President Joe Biden speaks about his administration’s plans to lower prescription drug costs and protect Social Security and Medicare, Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022, at Jones Elementary School in Joliet, Ill. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)
(NewsNation) — President Joe Biden appears to be breaking a relatively new tradition for the president to give a pregame Super Bowl interview. The last-minute move is leaving some wondering why he has decided to miss out on reaching millions of viewers all over the world.
After days of conflicting reports, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre tweeted Friday that although the president was looking forward to an interview on Fox Soul, they were informed that Fox Corporation asked for the interview to be canceled.
Fox Soul is part of Fox Corporation, a streaming network that caters its content to Black Americans. According to its website, the network’s “programs aim to celebrate Black culture and deal with real topics that impact the everyday lives of the Black community.” It launched in Jan. 2020.
Vivica A Fox and sportscaster Mike Hill were scheduled to conduct the interview ahead of Super Bowl LVII, according to the White House. Reportedly, Fox previously suggested having one of its anchors conduct the interview on Fox News, but Biden is said to have declined, leading to the Fox Soul option.
The tradition of airing a presidential pre-game interview on the network carrying the Super Bowl started with President George W. Bush in 2004 on CBS. It then continued with presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump, except for in 2018 when Trump reportedly refused an interview with NBC.
Biden conducted Super Bowl interviews when the game aired on other networks, CBS in 2021 and NBC in 2022.
There have not been any official reports on why exactly Biden allegedly did not want to appear on Fox News.
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