Biden's friendly Seth Meyers sit-down no 'substitute' for real interviews, White House journalists say

President Biden chatted with NBC’s "Late Night" host Seth Meyers on Monday for a friendly interview with the liberal comedian as reporters who cover the White House yearn for the same chance. Some are even resigned to joking about it.

"Seth Meyers played a newsman on [SNL sketch] Weekend Update, so maybe this is a gradual step in the right direction. With enough practice maybe the president can build up the stamina for a real sit-down," one current White House reporter told Fox News Digital.

The president's dodging of one-on-one interviews compared to his most recent predecessors has frustrated journalists throughout his term. Now Biden's sit-down with a friendly comic that addressed public concerns with his age underscored the lengths he's gone to sideline traditional press.

"I have no problem with the president talking with late-night talk show hosts or celebrity interviewers or whoever he wants. But that shouldn’t be a substitute for interviews with professional journalists who cover the White House for independent news outlets," New York Times chief White House correspondent Peter Baker told Fox News Digital. 

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"This president has given far fewer sit-down interviews than his modern predecessors and is the only president in our lifetime who has not given a single interview to reporters from any of the major newspapers," Baker said. 

President Biden speaks with host Seth Meyers during a taping of "Late Night with Seth Meyers" in New York City on February 26, 2024. (JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)

One former White House reporter said the Meyers appearance was good for Biden to do, but agreed it was "no substitute for doing interviews with journalists."

"He should do both and would be better off if he did both," the former White House reporter told Fox News Digital.

Another Washington reporter who's covered the Biden White House told Fox News Digital the Meyers appearance was "a typical response from the Biden team when press relations hit a breaking point." 

"What's funny is that they think one appearance on late-night television will make questions about his age go away," they said. 

Biden, who recently skipped the traditional pre-Super Bowl interview for the second straight year, hasn’t sat down for a formal news interview with a journalist since the Oct. 15 installment of CBS’ "60 Minutes." 

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President Joe Biden eats ice cream at Van Leeuwen Ice Cream on Monday, Feb. 26, 2024, in New York, as Seth Meyers watches.  (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

The White House firmly pushed back on criticism. 

"To share how he is fighting for the American people, President Biden is meeting Americans where they are through an all-of-the-above media strategy that ranges from in-depth traditional interviews with journalists like Fareed Zakaria and Scott Pelley to cutting-edge digital media engagement and podcast conversations," deputy press secretary Andrew Bates told Fox News Digital.

"That approach includes taking more questions from the White House press corps than almost any modern predecessor," Bates continued. "President Biden takes his responsibility to speak to all Americans seriously – including those who don’t regularly consume political news – which is why he’s traveling the country at an aggressive rate that often exceeds other recent presidents’ schedules, using a wide array of platforms to highlight the unprecedented results he’s delivering to grow our economy for the middle class, protect Americans’ freedoms, and bring the nation together."   

Meyers, a strong supporter of Biden's like most other late-night hosts, began Monday's chat by cracking a joke about Special Counsel Robert Hur's report, telling Biden it "says you're currently 81 years old." The liberal comic then asked Biden about American voters being concerned about his age, which prompted the president to say former President Trump is "about as old as I am, but he can't remember his wife's name." 

Biden went on to tout how his administration has gotten some "good things" done and warned about what would happen if Trump was back in the White House. He also joined Meyers for ice cream near NBC’s Rockefeller Plaza headquarters. 

Biden appeared alongside comedian and actress Amy Poehler to mark the 10-year anniversary of Meyers hosting "Late Night." Biden and Poehler were Meyers' first guests when he took over hosting the show in 2014 after leaving "Saturday Night Live."

Since "60 Minutes," Biden granted interviews with Spanish radio host Tony Arias, CNN's Anderson Cooper on his podcast about grief, comedian Conan O'Brien, Rev. Al Sharpton on his radio show, and now Meyers. He also briefly spoke with NBC's Al Roker during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade by phone, as well as Ryan Seacrest during ABC's New Years Eve broadcast, both alongside First Lady Jill Biden. 

Last year, he also did interviews with openly pro-Biden journalists Nicolle Wallace of MSNBC and John Harwood, the former CNN White House correspondent.

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Last February, Biden was grilled by PBS NewsHour's Judy Woodruff and ABC's David Muir about his classified documents scandal in a pair of sit-downs.

The topic of Biden's handling of the media was discussed Tuesday on Fox News’ "Outnumbered," where Emily Compagno called the Meyers interview a "softball."

"I would have loved for the president to have crossed the street and come over to Fox and sat with any of two dozen people, you know, for a challenging and respectful discussion and debate about what’s happening in this country," Kennedy said. "We’re in very serious and dire times… people are very concerned."

The Associated Press recently reported that Biden has given 33 news conferences in the first three years of his term, the fewest in that time span since Ronald Reagan during his first three years as president. Biden has given 86 interviews, compared to 422 given by Barack Obama during his first three years in office, according to the AP. Obama also faced criticism, and a 2010 Politico article said "he talks to the press corps far less often than Bill Clinton or even George W. Bush did."

While many journalists have acknowledged frustration with Biden’s lack of serious interviews, enthusiastic boosters like Harwood feel differently. 

"Oh look here," Harwood wrote on X to caption video of the Meyers chat. "Biden's not hiding, he's doing a high profile TV interview." 

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The White House didn't respond to a request for comment.

Fox News’ Joseph A. Wulfsohn contributed to this report.