The industrial press complex has reached a point where they barely attempt to pretend they aren't all in the tank for a Joe Biden reelection. The examples are legion, they are quotidian, and they are blatant. With only choice exceptions, we can be assured a news outlet is working in some capacity to see to it Joe Biden remains in the White House, and – as we saw this week – they are not restricted to English-speaking news outlets.  

After years of limited and ever-diminishing appearances with the press, the administration is facing a twofold challenge these days; the election demands more exposure, and the slipping in the polls is making media appearances more required. As President Joe needs to be seen and heard (sending shudders down the spines of handlers), more controlled appearances with the press are being arranged. A prime example: behold this recent exchange with NBC News White House correspondent Peter Alexander, which is sold as being completely off-the-cuff, but is so obviously staged that you need to wonder if Alexander had first sat in a table reading to go over the script.

.@PeterAlexander: "What do you say to the people of Arizona right now who are witnessing a law go in place that dates back to the Civil War era."

President Biden: "Elect me. I'm in the 21st century." pic.twitter.com/Y0QRI8gjcQ

— CSPAN (@cspan) April 10, 2024

The specific query and the neatly perfect response were so pat and set up that there really is no way this Q-and-A was not known previously – and still, Biden managed to flub the line and blow up whatever impact was expected.Even during his hasty exit after the fumbled delivery, it appears that handlers were in his ear, commanding he make a hasty retreat to avoid any further, negative video clip moments.

That even this kind of choreographed interlude manages to become butchered by Biden’s diminishing acuity is itself revealing, as the administration works harder at shielding this blatant problem. These displays only impact his image more, and this took a drastic turn with a recent interview that took place on Univision. Yet another problem facing the Biden election team is the Hispanic voter flight from Democratic Party support; they hoped to shore this up with an appearance on Spanish-speaking television.

As Bonchie detailed about this interview, it was a sycophant-staged, heavily edited encounter with reporter Enrique Acevedo, and it still came off as delivering more problems. Not just a static interview, this Univision visit was more like a segment from “60 Minutes,” where Biden and the reporter are seen speaking in different venues, including the Oval Office, as well as a face-to-face discussion. The staging, the editing, and the questions all have the feel of pre-arranged content, with the network working in concert with the administration to show the president in the best light possible.

But there is one editing choice I want to focus on. The Spanish-speaking audience needed to have Biden’s words in English delivered to them, and the decision was to bypass the use of subtitles, instead relying upon an overdub when Biden responded to questions. This…is a very telling move. 

As controlled as the editing clearly was of this day’s interaction, they still found the need to obscure the verbal cues from Biden that deliver poor optics, as it were. His hushed rasp, the fumbling with answers, and the drifting nature of his speech pattern became things they decided were better off being spoken over. Then their choice to go with a rich-toned voice to deliver answers in a clear fashion is all the more disturbing. (The Spanish overdub version starts at :30, in the clip below.)

I've come to the conclusion that dubbing Joe Biden into Spanish, as opposed to English with subs, is election interference. The voice-over makes Biden sound like a million bucks and hides the decline. pic.twitter.com/UABAAPpOis

— Jorge Bonilla (@BonillaJL) April 10, 2024

At first, it is comical, hearing what sounds like a primetime telenovela star speaking on behalf of the president, but this is also a disturbing display. It becomes clear there was a need to clean up the delivery, and this was done to benefit Biden, and certainly with the approval of the administration. You almost come to the conclusion his handlers were responsible for the choice of voice-over artist for this special.

This Univision appearance was entirely staged, completely scripted, and Biden is even seen holding notecards with the answers for the questions--and it managed to go off the rails anyway. What is becoming more apparent is that the efforts made by the administration and the campaign staff to shield, protect, and control Biden's appearances are becoming more strident, and his diminished faculties are still managing to come through. It really is a case of the harder they try, the more serious and apparent are Biden's loss of sharpness.