The White House has confirmed that President Joe Biden will not partake in the traditional annual Super Bowl pregame interview, a practice utilized by past incumbent presidents to bolster polling numbers. White House spokesman Ben LaBolt conveyed this decision to Variety, emphasizing the hope that viewers will focus on the game itself.
In recent years, a pre-Super Bowl interview with the sitting president has been a customary and attention-grabbing event.
This tradition appears to be diminishing, as Biden has chosen not to participate in such an interview for the second consecutive year. Discussions between CBS News, the broadcaster for Super Bowl LVIII on Feb. 11, and the White House took place but did not lead to an interview agreement.
The absence of a presidential interview during the Super Bowl pregame festivities is noteworthy, especially considering the upcoming 2024 presidential election and recent significant events like U.S. military interventions in the Middle East and the politically divided landscape.
This year’s Super Bowl narrative is further enriched by a suggestion involving pop star Taylor Swift, who supported Biden in the 2020 election.
Some conservative figures, including former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, have propagated a conspiracy theory implying that the game might be rigged in favor of the Kansas City Chiefs, whose tight end Travis Kelce is romantically linked to Swift. According to this theory, the Super Bowl could serve as a potential platform for Swift to make a political endorsement of Biden during the high-profile event.