'Absolute double standard' media isn't demanding Biden access: Kurtz
Howard Kurtz weighs in on Joe Biden's basement strategy and the press being unwilling to push him on hot topics
The mainstream media's "absolute double standard" has been exposed in coverage of presumptive 2020 Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden over the months since the coronavirus pandemic gripped the nation, "Media Buzz" host Howard Kurtz asserted Wednesday.
Appearing on "America's Newsroom" with host Trace Gallagher, Kurtz said that while it was good the former vice president held a news conference on Tuesday, he hadn't taken any questions from his press corps in a month.
"He did five interviews in June compared to 21 interviews for President Trump. And, the media – [who] usually are demanding access: ‘we have to hold these candidates accountable' – basically did stories saying, ‘Well, the Biden basement strategy is working because he’s going up in the polls’ rather than demanding access," he pointed out.
That said, polls have been tilting in Biden's favor ever since he made the decision to "stay at home" in his basement.
The RealClearPolitics average of national polls shows Trump down nine points to Biden. He's down in key swing states as well. Fox News polls released last Thursday also show Biden with a slight edge in Texas and Georgia, two once reliably red states that were not considered up for grabs at the beginning of the 2020 presidential cycle.
"Now, it actually paid some dividends for the former vice president because in response to a question ... he [accused] the president ... of a dereliction of duty and [hit on] that story about Russians allegedly paying bounties to the Taliban to kill Americans in Afghanistan," Kurtz told Gallagher, referring to Biden's Tuesday commentary. "When you engage with reporters, you make news. It's a law of campaign physics."
However, Kurtz predicted that Biden's silent strategy is not going to hold forever.
"I mean I understand the temptation for the Biden campaign because he has been doing well in the polls. The president has been out there a lot and he has been dropping in the polls. But, that’s not going to last," he remarked.
"Meanwhile, the Trump campaign trying to figure out how to attack Joe Biden. The ‘Sleepy Joe’ thing isn’t working; instead, they’re going to accuse him of being a captive of the left. That’s the new strategy," Kurtz added.
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While Democrats commended Biden's Tuesday slams against the president, several critics – including members of the Trump campaign – swung back after he acknowledged that he was given a "list" of reporters to call on following his prepared remarks.
"Awkward! Joe Biden admitted he was given a 'list' of approved reporters he was instructed to call on for questions. You're not supposed to say that part out loud, Joe!" the Trump War Room exclaimed.
Fox News' Paul Steinhauser and Joseph A. Wulfsohn contributed to this report.
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