During a largely softball interview with Jill Biden on Thursday, ABC’s Good Morning America co-host Robin Roberts complained about “free” community college being dropped from the still-massive spending binge being pushed by Democrats in Congress. Despite that disappointment, the liberal anchor gushed over how “real” and “approachable” the First Lady was.
“Here you are, First Lady, education is still so important to you for you to be there at Northern Virginia Community College….How are you able to balance all of that?,” Roberts fawned. Biden replied: “I just wanted to continue teaching and I thought, why not? I’m there two days a week, I teach writing. And the other days, I’m in my White House office. So, it just works and it makes me so happy.”
That led to Roberts channeling left-wing grievances about the size of the Democrats’ proposed multi-trillion dollar spending bill being slightly reduced:
And to be at a community college, and I don’t have to tell you that some people are concerned with the social spending bill, that it’s being reported that free tuition at community college may have to be taken out of the bill. For families that were hoping for that, what would you say to them?
Biden assured her: “I would say we’re not giving up. We are not giving up. This is round one, this is year one, I’m gonna keep going.”
Wrapping up the exchange minutes later, Roberts wondered: “What would you want people to think about you as First Lady, when it’s all said and done?” Biden got to write her own glowing review of her White House tenure: “I would hope that people would say, ‘She saw us, she heard us, and she helped us heal as a nation.’” As the taped exchange ended, Roberts echoed: “‘They saw us and helped us heal,’ that’s how she wants to be seen.”
Fellow co-host George Stephanopoulos marveled: “Nine months in, she seems still down to Earth.” Roberts agreed that Biden was “very approachable,” though mentioned that the First Lady “was late” to the interview. However, Roberts argued it just made her more “real.”
The host then swooned:
But no, just the way that she carries herself and when she was talking about education and I – you know, I put it to her about the social spending package and community college. A lot of folks were planning on it being free and here she is, a teacher, a professor at a community college in northern Virginia, but didn’t shy away from speaking about anything and really feels, okay, this is round one, year one, of the administration.
This softball segment came just two days after CBS Mornings co-host Gayle King treated the First Lady to an equally sycophantic sit-down.
Here is a transcript of excerpts from the October 21 segment:
8:12 AM ET
(…)
ROBIN ROBERTS: Here you are, First Lady, education is still so important to you for you to be there at Northern Virginia Community College.
JILL BIDEN: That’s right, that’s right.
ROBERTS: How are you able to balance all of that?
BIDEN: I just wanted to continue teaching and I thought, why not? I’m there two days a week, I teach writing. And the other days, I’m in my White House office. So, it just works and it makes me so happy.
ROBERTS: And to be at a community college, and I don’t have to tell you that some people are concerned with the social spending bill, that it’s being reported that free tuition at community college may have to be taken out of the bill. For families that were hoping for that, what would you say to them?
BIDEN: I would say we’re not giving up. We are not giving up. This is round one, this is year one, I’m gonna keep going.
(…)
8:17 AM
ROBERTS: What would you want people to think about you as First Lady, when it’s all said and done?
BIDEN: I would hope that people would say, “She saw us, she heard us, and she helped us heal as a nation.”
ROBERTS: “They saw us and helped us heal,” that’s how she wants to be seen.
(…)
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Nine months in, she seems still down to Earth.
ROBERTS: Very approachable. She was late, which is fine.
LARA SPENCER: It happens.
ROBERTS: Which is real. But no, just the way that she carries herself and when she was talking about education and I – you know, I put it to her about the social spending package and community college. A lot of folks were planning on it being free and here she is, a teacher, a professor at a community college in northern Virginia, but didn’t shy away from speaking about anything and really feels, okay, this is round one, year one, of the administration.
SPENCER: There’s time.
(…)