ABC News is revamping its plans for its highly anticipated interview with Biden, announcing that it will air in a primetime special on Friday night.
The interview, hosted by anchor George Stephanopoulos, will now air at 8 p.m. ET and it was promised that “an unedited transcript of the interview will be available the same day.”
According to a press release, the first clip will air Friday on “World News Tonight” and the full interview will air again on Sunday's edition of “This Week.”
President Biden will sit down with ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos for a pre-recorded interview on Friday. (Fake Images)
ABC News had previously remained silent on a series of questions submitted by Fox News Digital, even as the Disney-owned network pledged to air any moments that might shed new light on Biden's mental fitness.
Concerns about Biden’s age and viability have been at the forefront since last week’s alarming debate, in which he repeatedly lost his train of thought mid-sentence, struggled to answer questions and was widely criticized for sounding frail. While the White House called it a “bad night,” a growing number of Democrats, newspapers and media pundits have called for him to step aside from the 2024 campaign.
The interview with Stephanopoulos is seen as a chance for Biden to demonstrate his viability, but the taped format has raised questions.
It is unclear how much time has been allotted for the interview. The length and Biden’s ability to look and sound alert and engaged may be as important as his actual answers as he tries to rescue his campaign and reassure nervous Democrats.
BIDEN TO GIVE FIRST POST-DEBATE INTERVIEW TO ABC'S GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS ON FRIDAY
While the focus will largely be on Biden, questions about how ABC News will handle the interview are further fueled by its past political coverage.
In 2018, ABC News was heavily criticized for a massive editing job when former FBI Director James Comey sat down with Stephanopoulos for his first interview since being abruptly fired by then-President Trump the previous year. The full transcript released by the network revealed that it decided not to air several key moments during its Sunday night special, such as when Comey criticized former President Obama.
HALEY MOCKS STEPHANOPOULOS AFTER HE DISMISSED HER WARNINGS ABOUT BIDEN'S MENTAL DECLINE: 'DO YOU BELIEVE ME NOW, GEORGE?'
“The choice of George Stephanopoulos as an interviewer is not only a deliberate decision, but it is also recorded and can be deliberately cut and edited. ABC can and should release a full transcript of the interview, but that means nothing if we can't see the full, unedited, raw video,” NewsBusters Editor-in-Chief Curtis Houck told Fox News Digital.
“It could be Robert Hur 2.0 if the transcript included an off-camera moment where Biden is hemming and hawing,” he continued. “If this were a Republican presidency in a crisis like this, ABC would be forced to air it live, but the other networks will surely employ a trust-but-don’t-verify strategy with one of their own.”
President Biden's shocking debate performance has sparked chaos among Democrats and a wave of calls for him to drop out of the presidential race. (Fake Images)
Biden donors are 'scared' by his dependence on teleprompters for private fundraising
Biden's shocking debate performance has become a political earthquake that has shaken broad sectors of the… liberal media calling for him to withdraw from the presidential race.
Both Biden and the White House have repeatedly insisted he will remain in the race. The White House on Wednesday also denied reports that Biden had told a key ally he was considering withdrawing.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
