Biden Campaign Has Long Fed Softball Questions to Friendly Interviewers

A few days before his State of the Union address in March, President Biden called in to “Afternoon Vibes,” a popular radio show in Charlotte, N.C. The host, Jessica Williams, asked him if he would list his accomplishments, say why he had decided to run for a second term and explain what was at stake for Black voters in the election.

That same day, Mr. Biden called into “DeDe in the Morning” in Dallas, where he was asked if he would list his accomplishments, say why he had decided to run for a second term and explain what was at stake for Black voters in the election.

Nine days later, the president called into a third show, this time in Milwaukee. “What do you think is at stake in this election for Black Americans specifically?” the host, Michelle Bryant, asked.

A close look at more than two dozen radio and podcast interviews given by Mr. Biden over the past two years reveals a distinct pattern: In appearance after appearance, the president has been served up nearly identical questions, prescreened or suggested ahead of time by campaign staff members. And in nearly every case, the questions set the president up to deliver on-message talking points, without notable flubs.

The review sheds light on a tactic the Biden campaign has used liberally to control the president’s interactions in public, one that appears to have accelerated as the election has approached. Mr. Biden has given fewer interviews with news outlets than any modern president, and many of those have been with friendly interviewers, rather than journalists, who take questions and talking points from the campaign.

Mr. Biden is far from the only politician to dodge the scrutiny of traditional news media or to try to game interviews to avoid awkward moments. But his