Howard Stern Fumes Over Criticism He Went Too Easy On Joe Biden

Howard Stern does not appreciate critics questioning the integrity of his recent interview with Joe Biden.

On Monday, Stern responded to YouTuber David Pakman who suggested the White House planted some of the questions he asked the president. 

Pakman specifically wondered if the White House told Stern to ask Biden about a new policy that forces airlines to offer immediate refunds rather than credits for canceled flights.

"Here’s what happened. When Joe Biden came in, the day before [producer] John Hein and I were talking about some of the accomplishments that we admire that have gone on in the past four years, and John says to me, ‘Hey, Howard, did you hear what Joe Biden did with the airlines?'" Stern said.

"If they were scripting the questions, wouldn’t that have been a lot different?" interjected co-host Robin Quivers.

"Oh yeah, but as far as the statement about the airline… cut the conspiracy theory," Stern responded.

Stern then addressed critics who claimed his questions to Biden were "too soft."

"My whole goal was not to sit there and talk politics. I’m not into that. I don’t want to debate policy," he claimed." My only agenda [was] I would like to get to know the president because I suspect he’s a very meaningful, very thoughtful guy."

"You’ve gotta fucking be kidding me," Stern finally exclaimed.

No reasonable person expected Stern to discuss "policy" with the president as if he were today's Walter Cronkite. We are not criticizing Stern for not disrespecting or disfavoring the president during the interview. 

However, Stern has become an increasingly political figure over the past eight years. He was a vociferous critic of the Trump administration and how red states combated Covid-19. He could have at least asked Biden about relevant topics on which voters would appreciate hearing the president speak. 

Yet Stern never once cited the antisemitic protesters hijacking elite colleges, the polls saying voters are afraid for their safety because of an open border, concerns about Big Tech's influence or Hunter using the Biden name to peddle influence overseas. 

Rather, Stern asked Biden about Jan. 6 and if the demonstrations at the Capitol are proof Donald Trump should be ineligible to run for office. And his days as a lifeguard.

Stern: "Did you ever save anyone's life when you were a lifeguard? Was anyone ever drowning?"

Biden: "Yeah. Well, half a dozen times. Usually younger kids, you know."

Stern: "You do the thing with the whistle and then jump in and the bathing suit and, you know?"

Biden: "You got it."

Donald Trump could never.

As for questions pertaining to "planted questions," the Biden communication team is notoriously stringent when approving who can interview the president. 

Team Biden would not let CBS anchor Nora O'Donnell (who, no one can mistake for a conservative) interview Biden for the annual presidential sit-down ahead of the Super Bowl.

Stern is one of the few interviewers to have been granted permission to speak to the president on-air. Sage Steele, while at ESPN in 2021, was one of the others. And, according to Steele, ESPN scripted her entire interview. 

ESPN has refused to address whether the White House was also aware of the questions before the interview.

Stern, himself, admitted last week that he conducted the interview to "humanize" Biden the way he wishes he could have Hillary Clinton in 2016. "There’s a segment of my audience that really gets turned on to people they thought they hated because we tap into their humanity," Stern said.

So, skepticism and criticisms of Stern's interview with Biden were warranted. He brought them upon himself. The interview was not serious. It felt like propaganda.  

Had the White House scripted an interview for Joe Biden, it would've sounded an awful lot like his interview with Stern. Take a listen:

"I want to thank you for your compassion. We're lucky to have you in the Oval Office and serving as the father of the country," Stern told Biden."I want to thank you for providing a calming influence and an organized administration post-Covid."

Cringe.

For more, here is our column on Howard Stern's transformation from the most anti-establishment voice in media to a useful idiot of the Democrat Party.