'Goryeong Risk' Biden, Controversy Over Prearranged Questions in Radio Interview

Assistant's side: "Coordinating questions is a routine matter"

Amid ongoing controversy over U.S. President Joe Biden's cognitive decline, Biden's campaign reportedly provided interview questions in advance to radio hosts before two recent radio interviews, according to the American daily newspaper The Washington Post (WP) on the 6th (local time).

Two radio hosts who recently interviewed President Biden said they received the questions in advance from Biden's staff before the interviews. In response, a Biden campaign spokesperson dismissed the claims as "routine."

U.S. President Joe Biden is delivering a speech at the Medal of Honor ceremony held in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on the 3rd (local time).
[Photo by Yonhap News]

As concerns about the cognitive abilities of 81-year-old President Biden and calls for his withdrawal from the candidacy continued, these interviews were seen as an attempt to directly confront the controversy. Among the two interviews, one was hosted by Eng Ingreum and broadcast across Wisconsin, and the other was a program on Philadelphia radio station WURD hosted by Ropul-Sanders. Both were pre-recorded and aired on the 4th.

On the 6th, the two hosts appeared on CNN and were asked, "The questions in both interviews were strangely similar. Did the White House or Biden's campaign provide the questions, or did you submit the questions before the interviews?" In response, Ropul-Sanders said, "They sent me those questions for approval, and I agreed to them." When asked again, "So the White House sent you those questions before the interview?" he replied, "Yes. I received eight questions, and the four selected were the ones I agreed to."

The Biden campaign clarified that the questions were sent by aides, not White House officials. Biden campaign spokesperson Lauren Heet said, "It is not at all uncommon to share preferred topics with the interviewee," adding, "Agreeing on topics in advance was not a prerequisite for the interview."

She further stated, "The questions sent by the campaign were related to the news of the day," and "The president was asked about this debate and what he has done for Black Americans. We did not make agreeing to these questions a condition of the interview, and hosts are always free to ask questions they believe are best to inform their listeners."