A number of MSNBC hosts, including Rachel Maddow, Al Sharpton, Lawrence O’Donnell and Ed schultz visited the White House today to meet with President Obama. The meeting was not for an interview (though it wouldn’t hurt to ask!) but rather to get briefed on the message the President wants to push as far as his tax plan goes. Huffington Post founder Arianna Huffington also joined in.
Politico asked the White House for comment, here is what they said:
“This afternoon at the White House, the President met with influential progressives to talk about the importance of preventing a tax increase on middle class families, strengthening our economy and adopting a balanced approach to deficit reduction,” spokesman Josh Earnest said.
Advertisement
It isn’t particularly unusual for the President to have meetings with journalists or media types, though in this case the meeting seemed to be more about pushing a message than anything else. It is worth noting that despite the invites, MSNBC has not actually had a real sit-sown interview with President Obama in years. In October, he did appear on “Morning Joe,” but it was in an informal setting, and extremely brief. He has granted interviews to NBC News, which are often replayed on the sister network.