FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL: At a time when President Joe Biden’s administration is yanking more than 440 White House press passes, Republican candidates who want to replace him are not shying away from journalists—even in hostile settings.
Since announcing his reelection campaign on April 25, Biden has given just five interviews, all with friendly media outlets, including with the Weather Channel aired Wednesday.
Biden went on: “11th Hour with Stephanie Ruhle” on May 6; “Deadline: White House with Nicolle Wallace” on June 29; “Fareed Zakaria GPS with Fareed Zakaria” on July 9; and the “Jay Shetty Podcast” with Jay Shetty on July 31. Biden also did a gaggle with reporters on May 14 from Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.
Meanwhile, since launching his campaign on May 24 for president—a month after Biden—Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has done 92 interviews or press gaggles, according to his campaign.
The governor has appeared in interviews with CNN’s Jake Tapper on July 18, CBS News’ Ed O’Keefe on July 27, and most recently NBC News’ Dasha Burns on Aug. 7.
“No candidate in the field can match Ron DeSantis’ focus and vision to reverse the decline of America, and he is ready to share that vision with anyone, anywhere, anytime,” Andrew Romeo, the DeSantis campaign’s communications director, told The Daily Signal in a statement.
Other campaigns didn’t immediately respond to The Daily Signal inquiries for this story.
The White House also did not immediately respond. The campaign for Biden’s leading Democratic primary opponent, environmental lawyer Robert F. Kennedy Jr., told The Daily Signal Kennedy has done about 100 interviews.
DeSantis was among the latest to enter the race. Other Republican candidates who were in the race months earlier have similarly done extensive interviews with unfriendly media outlets.
Former President Donald Trump faced a CNN town hall in May.
Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy did recent interviews with PBS and CNN. Former Vice President Mike Pence juggled less-than-friendly media terrain with CBS News, CNN, and NBC News.
South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott has taken interviews with outlets such as NBC News, while former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, also a former United Nations ambassador, has handled media interviews from outlets such as CBS News.
The Biden White House announced a press purge in May with new rules for reporters with a press pass, or “hard pass,” to access the White House. After the July 31 deadline, 442 reporters lost their press passes, while several other news outlets—including The Daily Signal—got an extension until Aug. 10.
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