According to recent reports, tensions are high at ABC News after George Stephanopoulos said that “President Joe Biden must go” amid the apparent cognitive challenges Biden faces. The remark has reportedly sparked celebrations among fellow ABC anchor David Muir’s camp, a rival of Stephanopoulos’ at the left-leaning news network.
Stephanopoulos voiced his skepticism about President Biden’s capability after conducting an interview with him following the infamous presidential debate in late June. Biden’s abysmal performance led to calls for him to drop out of the 2024 race. During the interview, Stephanopoulos asked Biden, “Are you sure you’re being honest with yourself when you say you have the mental and physical capacity to serve another four years?”
Shortly after the July interview with President Biden, Stephanopoulos was approached by an individual on the street in New York City, who captured the ABC host admitting on video that he doesn’t believe Biden is fit to serve a second term in the White House. “What do you think? Do you think Biden should step down? You’ve talked to him more than anybody else lately,” the person recording said to Stephanopoulos. “I don’t think he can serve four more years,” the host responded.
Stephanopoulos’ selection to conduct the post-debate interview with Biden has allegedly intensified a longstanding professional rivalry between him and Muir. Reports indicate that Muir had eagerly sought after the chance to conduct the interview, and when Biden’s advisors selected Stephanopoulos, if further exacerbated the competition between the two.
An inside source claimed, “David has his supporters and team inside ABC, and George has his. The rivalry between David and George is real and makes for tension behind-the-scenes, and there are private celebrations from those in David’s corner that George plunged the network into an embarrassing scandal,” the source told the outlet.
Another person familiar with the matter said, “David is the height of professionalism, and you won’t hear a subjective word from him or any commentary about Biden and whether he should run … He is a newsman, and he knows his place. That is, to deliver the news, without fear or favor.”
Furthermore, ABC News president Debra O’Connell reprimanded Stephanopoulos for the comment he made that plunged the network into controversy. One source described the tensions within ABC News, stating, “This was a full-blown crisis that erupted with widespread repercussions.” They further detailed how Stephanopoulous “jeopardized” the networks’ “neutrality” with his comments.
“She was furious that someone of George’s experience and stature would jeopardize the news division’s neutrality, attracting unwanted and embarrassing headlines. George put Debra in a tough spot. Without an apology, how could he carry on at ABC News without the network being overwhelmed by criticism Although he later downplayed his comment as a mere jest, Debra and the senior leadership within the news division recognize that the harm has already been inflicted,” the source continued.
Reportedly, tensions between Stephanopoulos and Muir reached a boiling point in 2021, when Stephanopoulos allegedly threatened to leave ABC for a competitor network. As a result, Disney CEO Bob Iger flew across the country to mitigate the conflict, resorting to an enticing contract extension for Stephanopoulos.
Watch Stephanopoulos’ controversial comment below:
https://rumble.com/v5eslrx-viral-video-resurfaces-of-abcs-stephanopolous-admitting-biden-was-senile-me.html