“We will stop offering questions to interviewers”: Biden campaign

In the wake of his recent debate performance, US President Joe Biden’s team provided a list of pre-approved questions to a radio host who interviewed him, according to the host’s statement to CNN.

Andrea Lawful-Sanders, host of “The Source” in Philadelphia, confirmed to CNN's Victor Blackwell on “First of All” that the Biden campaign sent her a list of questions for approval before her interview with the president. 

“The questions were sent to me for approval. I approved them,” Lawful-Sanders said during the interview. 

She clarified that she received eight questions from the campaign and approved four for the interview.

CNN later reported that it was the Biden campaign, not the White House, that managed the interview logistics. 

Blackwell noted that Lawful-Sanders and Earl Ingram, host of “The Earl Ingram Show” in Milwaukee, who also interviewed Biden, asked the president similar questions.

A Biden campaign spokesperson did not deny that suggested questions were provided but emphasized that interview conditions were not contingent on these questions. 

“It’s not at all an uncommon practice for interviewees to share topics they would prefer. These questions were relevant to the news of the day – the president was asked about this debate performance as well as what he’d delivered for Black Americans,” said campaign spokesperson Lauren Hitt.

Following the backlash, the Biden campaign announced it would cease suggesting questions to interviewers. 

“While interview hosts have always been free to ask whatever questions they please, moving forward we will refrain from offering suggested questions,” a source familiar with the Biden booking operation told CNN.

These radio interviews occurred at a critical juncture for Biden's political future, with increasing concerns among Democratic donors and supporters regarding his age and ability to serve a second term. 

During one of these interviews, Biden made several gaffes, including a misstatement about his vice-presidential role and his involvement in appointing the first Black woman to the Supreme Court.

The Biden campaign defended the president's record, with spokesperson Ammar Moussa dismissing the criticism as “absurdity.” Moussa emphasized that Biden’s comments were meant to highlight his historic achievements, including numerous federal bench appointments.