New MSNBC host gets defensive when reporter suggests she might give Jill Biden ‘softball’ interview

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Symone Sanders, a new MSNBC host and the former senior advisor and chief spokesperson for Vice President Kamala Harris, responded on Wednesday to Politico White House correspondent and West-Wing Playbook writer Alex Thompson, who wondered if her upcoming appearance with the First Lady would be a "softball interview." 

Thompson noted the interview scheduled with First Lady Dr. Jill Biden for the premiere of Sanders' new MSNBC show "Symone" on May 7. "Will be interesting to see if this interview is tough or not," Thompson wrote on Twitter. "In other words, does she go the Stephanopoulos route or is this a softball interview by a former admin official."

MASPETH, NY - NOVEMBER 18:  Symone Sanders speaks onstage at Girlboss Rally NYC 2018 at Knockdown Center on November 18, 2018 in Maspeth, New York.  (Photo by JP Yim/Getty Images  for Girlboss Rally NYC 2018)

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Sanders responded to Thompson by saying she currently was doing research for the upcoming interview. "Exactly which 'policy' would you suggest I ‘grill’ FLOTUS on? Military families? Her spending Mother’s Day with mothers in Eastern Europe? Maybe I should ‘pin her down’ on the conservative media constantly targeting her unelected son??" Sanders said. 

She followed up with another defensive tweet saying that it was an interview with a First Lady who doesn't do many interviews. The former adviser to the vice president said that regardless of party affiliation, it "is an opportunity to learn more about her, the role, how she & her husband handle the pressures etc. I don’t think this is where we get answers on the border." 

U.S. first lady Jill Biden waves at a commemorative commissioning ceremony for the USS Delaware nuclear submarine at the Port of Wilmington, Delaware, U.S., April 2, 2022. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz

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Sanders announced that she would resign from her position with the vice president in December 2021. Harris' office has seen a number of staffing changes in recent months. Most recently, deputy chief of staff Michael Fuchs quit on April 4. 

Kate Childs Graham, the former chief speechwriter, left the vice president's office at the end of February. 

First lady Jill Biden is greeted by Vice President Kamala Harris before a Medal of Honor ceremony for retired U.S. Army Col. Ralph Puckett, in the East Room of the White House, Friday, May 21, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

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Sanders appeared on an "MTP Daily" panel to discuss the district court judge who voided the federal mask mandate for airlines in late April. The conversation pivoted to Gov. Ron DeSantis', R-Fla., political appeal. 

"One could argue, I was critical of Governor DeSantis, and still am, during the height of Covid, but if you really look at the numbers, Florida actually came out all right. He has a story to tell. And the economy is strong," Sanders said of the Florida governor's handling of COVID-19.