The news division head of ABC News reportedly expressed anger upon learning that network anchor George Stephanopoulos appeared biased against President Biden during an interaction with a passerby in Manhattan, according to Radar Online. Stephanopoulos, who formerly served as an adviser to Bill Clinton and has a history as a Democratic operative, was reportedly chastised by Debra O’Connell for his perceived lack of objectivity.
In the video clip published by TMZ on Tuesday, Stephanopoulos can be seen expressing doubts about President Biden’s ability to serve another four years in office. This incident led to an internal meeting at ABC News, resulting in O’Connell requesting that Stephanopoulos apologize for his remark. Stephanopoulos obliged, telling Puck News that he should not have responded to the passerby and acknowledged that it was a mistake on his part.
In its own statement to the outlet, ABC News further clarified that “George expressed his own point of view and not the position of ABC News.” The network declined to comment on Radar Online’s reporting. This incident comes after Stephanopoulos conducted an interview with President Biden that focused on his poor debate performance against former President Trump and concerns about his political future amid declining poll numbers.
The anchor’s remarks have been met with criticism from ten sitting Democratic lawmakers, who have called on President Biden to end his re-election bid following the interview and Stephanopoulos’ subsequent comments, which failed to alleviate concerns about the 81-year-old president’s ability to defeat Trump in November.
