While the cameras were still rolling on Thursday afternoon’s live MSNBC interview, President Joe Biden left the set.
To gather money for his campaign, the president traveled to New York City for a day.
But his first destination was ’30 Rock,’ where he spoke with host Nicolle Wallace of Deadline: White House, who had previously worked for Republicans like the late Sen. John McCain and President George W. Bush.
She grilled Biden on the January 6 uprising, the Supreme Court’s Affirmative Action ruling, and former President Donald Trump, but she omitted to grill the president on his son Hunter’s international business transactions and his health, two items that have dominated this week.
Thursday morning, Hunter was seen making his way to a Delaware courthouse to take a deposition for the defamation case filed by John Paul Mac Isaac, the proprietor of the computer store known as “laptop from h***.”
As the president and host discussed the administration’s bipartisan accomplishments as they ended up the interview, Biden got up, shook Wallace’s hand, and left the set while she was still broadcasting.
The awkward exit by Biden from the MSNBC set while he was still on air garnered more attention than the actual interview itself, with White House spokesman Andrew Bates tweeting that it was a “power move.”
The conversation began with Biden’s response to the day’s news, which was the conservative Supreme Court’s shredding of affirmative action in college admissions.
He told reporters he thought the Court was “not normal” after speaking at the White House about the judgment and how his White House would react.
When Wallace pressed Biden for an explanation of his remark, Biden responded, “It’s done more to unravel basic rights and basic decisions than any court in recent history.”
He cited further precedent-setting judgments, such as Dobbs, which overturned Roe v. Wade, which guaranteed a woman’s right to an abortion at the federal level.
Wallace also questioned the president about why the Justice Department took so long to investigate Trump in connection with the attack on the Capitol on January 6.
Biden retaliated, saying that becoming involved in a case would be inappropriate.
According to Biden, “I have not spoken once, not once, not once, to the Attorney General on any specific case.”
The ‘previous government’ was attacked for attempting to ‘guide’ the Federal Reserve, the courts, and other institutions, according to him.
Wallace then questioned Biden on whether or not other democratic leaders had questioned him about why “the leader,” or Trump, had not been charged despite the insurrection’s “foot soldiers” being arrested.
“Well, the answer is yes,” Biden said, then expanded what he meant.
“Well here’s my answer. I have faith that the Justice Department will move in a direction that is consistent with the law. And so it may take time, but I have faith that There going to do – but I have not spoken about that, and I don’t think I should.”
Wallace said that answer showed that Biden had “reverence for the institutions’ while the modern-day Republicans were ‘openly running on politicizing the rule of law.”
“I think it’s really important that they know my value set is very different than this new MAGA Republican Party,” Biden said.
His assertion that he had “great faith in the instincts of the American people,” describing them as “decent and honorable,” suggested that he thought he could defeat Trump a second time.
He also suggested that he was being hurt by media coverage, noting that ‘there are no editors anymore’ and reporters are being pushed to have a ‘brand.’
Regarding the turmoil this past weekend in Russia, Biden was coy about what he was aware of prior to the Wagner revolt.
Wallace then questioned Biden if he believed Trump, a Republican, would have informed Russian President Vladimir Putin beforehand.
Biden answered, “Oh God, I don’t know, I don’t think about that very often.”
In light of the fact that McCain’s close buddy, Sen. Lindsey Graham, is a key Trump backer, Wallace recalled how the late Arizona senator had been hawkish on Russia. Wallace then asked Biden what he believed the late senator would think of the current GOP.
‘I don’t think he’d think much of them,’ Biden said, but then added, ‘I don’t know that.’
Biden mentioned a scandal that broke in 2019.
Because of the denial, he admitted, “I got very upset with the last president and even with my good friend Lindsey sometimes.” Covering the name of John McCain’s ship. Let’s face it, this man was a hero.
During the then-president’s visit to Japan, the Trump White House had requested that the Navy keep a ship bearing the name of John McCain, a fierce Trump opponent, out of sight.
‘This ain’t your father’s Republican Party,’ Biden said to Wallace as he wrapped up the interview.
He continued, “There’s still a lot of good Republicans,” citing Sen. Mitt Romney as an example. There are numerous them.
Wallace remained seated in the anchor position as Biden got up and started going off-set a little while later.
