(NewsWorthy.news) – Howard Stern’s producer has revealed that Hillary Clinton pressed President Joe Biden to appear on the Howard Stern Show, having turned down several opportunities to speak on the show herself in 2016.
Viewers were surprised by an unannounced interview with Biden on Stern’s live Sirius XM broadcast on April 26. The host covered a range of topics with the 81-year-old incumbent president, but avoided addressing major policy topics. The interview instead focused on Biden’s family life, his youth, sport and his work as a lifeguard. Gary Dell’Abate, the executive producer of the show, said the interview was several years in the making, and revealed that Clinton was instrumental in stressing that an interview with Stern could give Biden’s presidential election campaign a boost.
During the conversation with Stern, Biden stated that he was happy to debate former President Donald Trump. The Republican presidential candidate has also avoided debates, having skipped them all during the 2024 primary and opting out of a debate with Biden in 2020. In September 2023 Independent and formerly Democratic candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. called on Biden to participate in debates to show to people that the country is not governed by “unelected people.” Kennedy argued that Biden should be willing to engage with voters and have unscripted debates to prove that he is fit for office.
Biden has long been mocked by conservatives for his apparent reliance on autocues, and as recently as April 2024 read out “pause” from his teleprompter. Even left-leaning media outlets wrote a letter pressing Biden to debate Trump. Regarding the interview with Stern, Dell’Abate credited Clinton with being particularly helpful in encouraging the president to appear on the show. Stern previously wanted Clinton on his show in 2016 when she was running against Trump in the presidential election, and had hoped to help her better connect with voters.
Stern described the conversation with Biden as “very natural.” The host claimed that the interview highlighted the “humanity” of the president. Conservative commentators continued to criticize Biden for choosing “softball” interviews rather than those tackling key policy issues central to his 2024 election campaign.
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