Stephanopoulos' candid comments about Biden after the interview ignite a firestorm at ABC

ABC News reportedly threatened to take host George Stephanopoulos off the air after he privately dissed President Joe Biden.

As he strolled the streets of New York City in his workout clothes on Tuesday, a passerby equipped with cameras asked Stephanopoulos, “Do you think Biden should resign?”

“I don't think I can serve another four years,” the ABC News host replied.

I will see:

(Video Credit: TMZ)

The now-viral comments prompted an outpouring of critical news coverage, with the New York Times reporting that “[n]Anchors and journalists tend to avoid expressing their opinions about the subjects and people they cover.”

That coverage, in turn, prompted Stephanopoulos to backtrack in an official statement, saying, “Earlier today, I answered a question from a passerby. I shouldn't have.”

ABC News also responded.

“George expressed his own point of view and not the position of ABC News,” the network said.

But according to Radar onlinethere is still more to the story.

“The head of ABC News issued a stern warning to George Stephanopoulos after he was caught on camera saying he didn't believe President Joe Biden could serve a second term and even threatened to remove him from the 'air if he didn't apologize,' the gossip website reported on Wednesday.

Debra OConnell is her name, and she reportedly called Stephanopoulos into an emergency, “all hands on deck” meeting Tuesday afternoon to address her comments.

“This was a full-blown crisis and it erupted with far-reaching reverberations,” an insider told the outlet.

The controlled dog made a spontaneous mistake in telling the truth, and ABC News president Debra O'Connell makes brutal threats if George doesn't publicly apologize. It is a real threat to the Republic. pic.twitter.com/wmZRn6V7cB

— Fake News Hurts (@FakeNewsHurts) July 11, 2024

The source added that O'Connell told Stephanopoulos “in no uncertain terms that he is a reporter who is expected to be targeted.”

“I was furious that someone of George's experience and status would compromise the impartiality of the news division and subject it to unnecessary and embarrassing headlines,” she continued.

Stephanopoulos was reportedly told that if he did not apologize immediately, he could be fired as host of “Good Morning America” ​​and host of “This Week.”

“George backed Debra into a corner,” the source said. “If she didn't apologize, how could she continue her duties at ABC News without the network facing a barrage of criticism? Although she distanced herself from the comment and tried to downplay it as a joke, Debra and top news division bosses know the damage has been done.”

“You can expect the Trump campaign and the GOP to take advantage of this. You can also expect the White House to prevent ABC News from moving forward. Biden will never sit down with Stephanopoulos again,” they added.

All of this comes just weeks after the president's disastrous debate performance against former President Donald Trump:

After the failure of Biden's debate night, the ball is in the Republicans' court https://t.co/F7yjiXHUyy

— ConservativeLibrarian (@ConserLibrarian) June 30, 2024

Remember, after the debate, Stephanopoulos became the first news anchor to interview Biden about his awful performance.

“Look, I have a cognitive test every day,” the president dubiously stated during the interview. “Every day I've been tested. Everything I do. You know, I'm not just campaigning, I'm running the world. And this doesn't, it sounds like hyperbole, but we're the central nation of the world.

During the interview, the president also rejected calls for him to drop out of the race.

“If the Lord Almighty came down and said, 'Joe, get out of the race,' I would get out of the race, but the Lord Almighty will not come down,” he said.

Weeks later, the president continues to face growing calls for him to drop out of the race and let someone younger and more mentally capable and competent replace him on the Democratic ticket.

The latest report from actionIt is noted that even Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has begun to “signal privately” that he is open to Biden dropping out of the race and being replaced by someone else.

“In public, Schumer has insisted that it's 'for Joe,'” the outlet notes. “Privately, he's singing a different tune. Over the past 12 days, Schumer has been listening to ideas and suggestions from donors about the best way forward for the party, according to three people familiar with the matter.

Senior Staff Writer
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V. Saxena is a writer for BizPac Review with a decade of experience as a professional writer and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University.

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