Radio Station Parts Ways with Host Who Asked Biden Questions Provided in Advance
A Philadelphia radio host who got a rare opportunity to exclusively interview President Biden last week has parted ways with the Black-owned station after she used questions provided by the Biden campaign in advance.
WURD Radio CEO Sara M. Lomax, said that Host Andrea Lawful-Sanders and the station “mutually agreed to part ways, effective immediately." She added that Lawful-Sanders had arranged the interview “without knowledge, consultation or collaboration with WURD management.”
“WURD Radio remains an independent voice that our audience can trust will hold elected officials accountable,” Lomax said. “This is something we take very seriously. Agreeing to a pre-determined set of questions jeopardizes that trust and is not a practice that WURD Radio engages in or endorses as a matter of practice or official policy.”
In a video posted to Facebook, Lawful-Sanders thanked listeners “for the part that you played in this journey.”
“Life is moving. Things are shifting and changing and in a day or so you’ll hear more,” Lawful-Sanders said.
Lawful-Sanders revealed the terms of her interview during an appearance on CNN’s “First of All” on Saturday. Host Victor Blackwell remarked that her interview and an interview Biden did with a Black radio host in Wisconsin had been similar and asked whether Biden’s team was involved in drafting the questions.
“The questions were sent to me for approval,” Lawful-Sanders said. “I got several questions — eight of them … and the four chosen were the ones that I approved.”
Biden’s team defended the move after Lawful-Sanders’s CNN interview gained traction.
“It’s not at all an uncommon practice for interviewees to share topics they would prefer,” campaign spokesperson Lauren Hitt said in a statement Saturday. “These questions were relevant to news of the day — the president was asked about this debate performance as well as what he’d delivered for black Americans.”
“Hosts are always free to ask the questions they think will best inform their listeners,” she added.
Following his poor debate performance on June 27 against former President Trump, President Biden’s team scheduled two radio interviews, including one in Philadelphia. During the debate, Biden appeared disoriented at times and sounded hoarse.
At 81, Biden is the oldest sitting U.S. president. If he wins a second term, he would be 86 by the end of his presidency.
In the aftermath of the debate, several Democrats have both publicly and privately urged Biden to withdraw from the race, suggesting another candidate should take the party’s nomination to face Trump in November.
Despite this, Biden's schedule over the past week, which included campaign events, the radio interviews, and a sit-down with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, has done little to quell the concerns. Nevertheless, Biden remains determined to stay in the race.
“I’m not going anywhere,” Biden said Monday during a defiant call to MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” talk show. “I wouldn’t be running if I didn’t absolutely believe that I’m the best candidate to beat Donald Trump in 2024.”
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