MSNBC criticized for giving easy interview to Biden before he leaves White House

Joe Biden recently sat down for an interview with MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell, which many criticized for being too lenient on the president.

Many accused O’Donnell – a self-professed ‘European socialist’ – of praising the president where it wasn’t due.

The journalist touted Biden’s signing of a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill, which funneled billions of dollars into ongoing environmental projects.

Biden attributed the current inflation rates to red states, claiming that their gradual return to post-pandemic manufacturing has negatively impacted the economy.

Biden said such states needed a great deal of attention, and required investments that fast-tracked inflation.

He also attempted to quash criticisms of how he handled the economy, insisting other strategies would have seen several lose jobs.

Interestingly, Biden acknowledged that he may have focused excessively on policy matters and not enough on political aspects during the interview, with minimal opposition from the progressive host.

Onlookers who witnessed Biden’s first and only term were quick to question how scripted the sit-down really was.

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‘The [B]iden team was like[,] who can we get an interview with who will not push back on anything and let us provide the questions,’ wrote one X user.

‘Oh, I know[,] Lawrence.’

‘[The fact] that Biden gave his final interview to MSNBC tells you everything you need to know about Biden and MSNBC,’ added another.

‘He wanted someone to adore him and they complied like an obedient puppy who wants a doggie treat.’ 

Someone else expressed awe over a comparison floated by O’Donnell that saw him equate Biden’s signing of the spending bill to ‘a magic trick’.

The MSNBC fixture who began his career as an aide to U.S. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan marveled at Biden being able to do so with ‘the smallest Senate majority in history.’ 

‘”Like a magic trick,”‘ the user quoted, before using an acronym to indicate laughter.

‘Silly @Lawrence[.] Name ONE achievement by Biden other than ruining the country. @MSNBC you need to be more particular about who you hire.’

‘This is just wild,’ yet another user exclaimed. ‘Biden’s final sit down Oval Office interview is with deranged clown Lawrence O’Donnell — and he’s just rambling incoherently. 

‘A case study in how now to bolster your public image before leaving office.’ 

Others said they found the interview surprisingly sobering – remarking how Biden appeared aware and cognizant after being pulled out of the race.

This only bred more accusations of MSNBC offering an olive branch to the outgoing president in the form of a softball interview, as he leaves office with lower approval numbers from when he won.

During the interview, he told O’Donnell he was worried about the freedom of the press – revealing how four other MSNBC hosts had told him that they were ‘worried about whether or not they’re going to be held accountable for telling the truth.’ 

‘When has that ever happened in America, I mean, in a long time?’ the president mused at that point, before boasting that he had been right all along about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s intentions to invade Ukraine.  

He also made several stumbles throughout the sit-down, at one point referring to North Koreans being sent to fight for Russia in Ukraine as ‘Chinese.’

During another exchange, he began to say Sweden instead of Switzerland as the locale of where he met with Putin in June of 2021, eight months before the invasion.

O’Donnell, previously a writer for the The West Wing, let it slide every time.

At one point, O’Donnell appeared to even side with the outgoing president after he admitted telling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he can’t carpet bomb civilian areas – to which the politician replied, ‘but you did.’

This was after the events of October 7, 2023, and almost immediately afterward, the Israel Defense Forces started to retaliate.

Biden further recalled what Netanyahu told him at the time, explaining how he had been referring to the US’s bombing of civilian areas in Europe during the last World War.

‘”Well, you did it. You carpet-bombed” – not his exact words, “But you carpet-bombed Berlin. You dropped a nuclear weapon. You killed thousands of innocent people, because you had to in order to win a war,”‘ the president quoted.

A slightly miffed O’Donnell remarked: ‘So, he was comparing 21st century war tactics, battle tactics, with World War II?’

Netanyahu reportedly responded that he had been making a ‘legitimate argument’, because the Hamas fighters who were killing Israelis were hiding out in tunnels.

Several Israeli airstrikes killing dozens of Palestinian civilians have taken place since.

Fox’s Katie Pavlich further bashed the display, saying of Biden on the air: ‘He’s at the bottom of the barrel here, he’s trying to stay relevant.’

A few days ago, President-elect Trump panned the man he’s replacing – and the treatment he’s received the press – while fielding reporters’ questions in Mar-a-Lago.

In anticipation of the final interview, he told the longest sit-down reporters would get with Biden was ‘one question and then they’d rush you out of the room.’