President Joe Biden’s obsession with his favorite MSNBC show influences how he runs things around the White House, Axios reported.
Biden frequently tunes into MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” hosted by the married couple Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, and even uses the show’s frequent guests as consultants, according to Axios. Throughout the day, Biden will ask his staff if they saw different segments and bits that aired on the four-hour show — so much so that some aides have begun to tune into the show to anticipate their boss’s questions, the outlet reported.
The president previously brought experienced reporter Mike Barnicle, former diplomat Richard Haass and historian Jon Meacham, who are regulars on the program, to reportedly consult with him, according to Axios. Meacham has aided the President with multiple speeches, the outlet reported. Other regulars on the show have reportedly been invited to off-the-record discussions with policy experts.
U.S. President Joe Biden and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris participate in a meeting with governors visiting from states around the country in the East Room of the White House on February 10, 2023 in Washington, DC. This weekend President Biden is hosting governors that are attending the annual National Governors Association Winter Meeting. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
A number of Biden’s top officials believe the show gives the president more of a balanced review than other programs, a White House aide told Axios.
Though Biden’s favorite, the show can be critical of the president. In January, Scarborough appeared stumped that Biden had not fired Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin for keeping his hospitalization from the president.
Immediately following the Axios report, Scarborough suggested Friday that the White House needs to let Biden out in public more often.
“I think this may be one reason why the White House probably should let him out more,” Scarborough reportedly said. “There’s been concerns that he’s not getting out, he’s not doing enough stuff, he’s not answering enough questions. All right, so if he makes a mistake, he makes a mistake.”
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris (L) speaks as President Joe Biden (R) listens during a Rose Garden event at the White House to mark National Small Business Week on May 1, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Vice President Kamala Harris reportedly tunes into “Morning Joe” too, but the vice president has her own guilty pleasure. Harris reportedly tunes into the Fox News show “The Five” from time to time, a move which aides believe has driven the vice president to distraction, White House aides told Axios. (RELATED: Kamala Harris Is Very Concerned About Wikipedia Trolls Making Her Look Short)
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“It got in her head and caused high anxiety because they were constantly hammering her,” a previous Harris aide informed Axios, referencing negative coverage of the Vice President on Fox News.