Obama To Give Interview To Fox News

President Obama will give an interview to Fox News' Major Garrett, Fox News confirmed to the Huffington Post.

Drudge reported Wednesday that the interview will take place during the president's trip to China next week. This news comes just one day after it was reported that Obama Communications Director Anita Dunn -- the so-called general in the administration's war against Fox News -- will be stepping down.

The Obama administration's battle against Fox News has been two-pronged: members of the administration have characterized Fox News as not a legitimate news network while also regularly denying the network interviews with key figures. When Obama did the Sunday morning talk show rounds, for instance, he skipped out on "Fox News Sunday" with Chris Wallace.

"This White House has demonstrated our willingness to exclude Fox News from newsmaking interviews, but yesterday we did not," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the day after Garrett interviewed "pay czar" Kenneth Feinberg.

Fox News executive Michael Clemente met recently at the White House with Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, and since then the tensions between the two parties have cooled; senior adviser David Axelrod granted an interview to Garrett last week.

The president's interview, coupled with Dunn leaving her interim post, are further signals that the administration is ramping down its battle against the cable news outlet.

The New York Times had reported that the White House "informed Fox News not to expect to bump knees with the president until 2010."

Update: A White House offiical has told Politico that the report that Obama is sitting down with Fox News while he is in China is "not accurate."

"We've not committed to doing any presidential interviews during the trip to Asia with any outlets at this point," the official said.

Comments

[itjustis]

06:15 PM on 03/17/2010

Watching Obama now. There's a new dance in town, it's called the Obama Shuffle. Don't answer the questions, just shuffle to the left and then suffle some more. Never answering the questions. One term Obama what a looser!

[moongal6]

05:02 PM on 11/17/2009

It appears this is again a story of focks media muddying the waters of truth. President Obama has not had a press conference for almost 4 months. For focks to single themselves out is comical. The President had a sit down interview with Major Garrett in July, just the two of them. Mr. Garrett actually wrote a column and you can actually read it on the focks website. Imagine.
The President has no problem interviewi­ng with Mr. Garrett, he seems to be the most legitimate of all of the focks news persons. And of course there is the Axelrod interview of a couple of weeks ago.
And, there has been no official confirmati­ons of interviews in Asia with any media outlet. Drudge is sure consistent in their misinforma­tion.

[JTHC75]

12:22 PM on 11/17/2009

Latest update: WH lied, Drudge told the truth. Obama will be interviewe­d by Major Garrett.

[James In Atlanta]

07:32 PM on 11/15/2009

Let me start off by saying I believe Fox News Network (FNN) is nothing more than the National Enquire and Starr news papers on TV.

I look forward to watching the interview.

Will FNN behave properly or will they shoot them selves in the foot by badgering the president instead of posing legitimate questions and looking for insightful answers?

I think they will do their best to portray the President as a fool and give him the "Pin Head Award" after the interview so their dwindling viewers can have a laugh at the expense of the American People.

James In Atlanta

[SMAckley]

04:49 PM on 11/13/2009

This was, apparently­, another lie from Fox. There is no confirmed interview, nor are there any confirmed interviews for the China visit, according to the White House.

[LittleMittens]

10:37 PM on 11/12/2009

any poor shlub that still considers faux real news - you must be the pitiful 20% that still identify as republican­s. Our country is DONE with you - the remaining 80% is ready to pass you by

[LittleMittens]

09:56 PM on 11/12/2009

wow, faux lied again? I'm shocked

[fairplaystacy]

06:37 PM on 11/12/2009

I wonder how much the ads on this page totaled as we clicked here to read a story that turns out to be a non-story. KACHING!!!­!

[Roopez123]

04:36 PM on 11/12/2009

First question from Fox to Obama: So tell us Mr. President, when did you stop bating your wife?

[rybalaw]

04:24 PM on 11/12/2009

Rupert Murdoch should ask himself a simple ? How would William F. Buckley run Fox News if he were alive today?

[oldngrumpy]

02:16 AM on 11/13/2009

Brit is channeling Buckley but the connection is lousy. The screams and that fire crackling in the background drown out everything­.

[lafayette2009]

02:27 PM on 11/12/2009

HUFF POST HEADLINE

Obama To Give Interview To Fox News

Huff Post Rider

Update: A White House official has told Politico that the report that Obama is sitting down with Fox News while he is in China is "not accurate."

"We've not committed to doing any presidenti­al interviews during the trip to Asia with any outlets at this point," the official said.

Why headline a story about an interview as if it is set in stone and rider it with a statement that it has not been confirmed by the White House??

Seems journalist­ic integrity struggles on all sides t

[mike197788]

04:40 PM on 11/12/2009

Just wait and see. President Obama is infallible­, but the entire news industry lacks integrity? If you reverse that statement then it is at least believable­.

[lafayette2009]

06:11 PM on 11/12/2009

What has a misstated headline on Huffington Post got to do with President Obama?

I think if the coffee you guys drink is not up to standard, you would find a way to blame him for it or in some way link him to it.

Lighten up for Gods sake!

[Liberalforsure]

02:26 PM on 11/12/2009

Boycott Faux News after the President'­s interview of course!

[Pinkie e]

02:37 PM on 11/12/2009

You sound like your name. Maybe you would prefer FOX News to just be shut down after the interview rather than a boycott. For 6 years the "lame stream media " bashed Bush every chance they got, now you can't stand it that one network dares to stand up to PBO.
The latest Gallop poll says 60% of Americans don't like this new health care plan...26 % do. The latest Gallop poll tells us PBO should make up his mind about sending troops into Afghanista­n , FOX NEWS would confront him on these issues unlike CBS CNN ABC MSNBC or NBC.

[daultman463]

03:18 PM on 11/12/2009

Believe it pinkie,the­re is a lot on the left that would love for some fcc ruling or some strange ruling that would force fox news of the air. They know the fairness doctrine isn`t going to happen and this boycott of beck is not working.Fo­x ratings are going up and cnn and msnbc are going way down.

[ladyskeptik]

02:06 PM on 11/12/2009

Danny Shea, maybe you should try to verify Drudge Report stories before you run with them.

[MakersMark]

01:40 PM on 11/12/2009

I took the Update to mean that the WH would not be doing any interviews with Fox News while on the trip to Asia, not that they wouldn't be doing any interviews at all.

[Eykis]

03:22 PM on 11/12/2009

I took it as you did Makers Mark. I don't think POTUS should lower himself. Faux must separate its "news" from "opinions" and keep up a warning sign on which is which 24/7,

[nikki2009]

01:20 PM on 11/12/2009

Update: A White House offiical has told Politico that the report that Obama is sitting down with Fox News while he is in China is "not accurate.

hahahaha hehehehehe to all those losers who were calling President Obama a loser. EGG IN YOUR FACE! You too, H P.

[Pinkie e]

02:48 PM on 11/12/2009

Nikki...
PBO really wouldn't want to be interviewe­d by FOX NEWS because he'd have to answer tough questions. Some day the sun may shine bright enough for him to realize he's the president of ALL the people not just his close friends (MSNBC,NBC­,CBS,CNN,A­BC etc.

[CALIgirl12]

04:20 PM on 11/12/2009

@Pinkie e

We are talking about O not W here. Oh wait, answering tough questions would require putting together a coherent sentence wouldnt it?

And btw, O is defintely MY president. Feel free to move elsewhere. China perhaps?

[ZTB]

07:47 PM on 11/12/2009

and who, prey tell, would be asking "the hard questions"­......chri­s wallace?
they certainly have YOU fooled.