Both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are committed to show voters how different they are, with each saying the other is a danger to the future of the nation. However, the current and former presidents have one thing in common: They love their morning media shows.
For Biden, he is a devoted viewer of MSNBC‘s Morning Joe from 7 a.m. to 7:40 a.m. and values co-host Joe Scarborough‘s opinion on policy issues and will rant to him about media coverage, sources familiar with the relationship told Axios.
The show affects the work at the White House, as the president will consistently ask aides whether they saw a story, a segment, or a poll from the show. Biden does this so much that aides will watch and track the show to anticipate questions.
Biden will include frequent show contributors in off-the-record talks on policy, such as reporter Mike Barnicle, foreign policy expert Richard Haass, and historian Jon Meacham. The president has included retired Adm. James Stavridis, a “Morning Joe regular experienced in national security,” in briefings at the White House with other experts.
On the other side of the aisle, Trump prefers Fox News, including shows Fox & Friends and Hannity. The latter’s host, Sean Hannity, has interviewed the former president multiple times in recent months as his criminal cases move forward and the Republican primary heats up.
Both MSNBC and Fox News typically give their presidential viewer more favorable coverage compared to their stories on the other. Other White House officials have their own preferred media: Vice President Kamala Harris watches Morning Joe and Fox News, occasionally tuning into The Five.
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However, some aides have reportedly expressed concern that Fox News’s constant negativity on the Biden administration will distract the vice president, who has been called Biden’s puppet in some segments and an incompetent, unqualified leader in others.
“It got in her head and caused high anxiety because they were constantly hammering her,” one former Harris aide told Axios.