ABC’s George Stephanopoulos says 2024 race can’t be treated normally after Biden urges press to alter coverage

George Stephanopoulos

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The day following President Biden’s call for the media to approach the 2024 election differently, ABC’s George Stephanopoulos firmly informed his viewers on Sunday’s “This Week” that the current year was exceptional and a “test” for both the media and the nation.

Trump’s legal challenges

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Diverging from its typical format, Stephanopoulos initiated the show by addressing former President Trump’s legal challenges and highlighting how the 2024 election was challenging the core principles of democracy.

Move away

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This shift came after Biden urged the press to move away from trivial political coverage and to “rise up to the seriousness of the moment, “concluding his speech at the White House correspondents’ dinner with a serious tone on Saturday.

Criminal trial

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“Until now, no American president had ever faced a criminal trial,” Stephanopoulos said. “No American president had ever faced a criminal indictment for retaining and concealing classified documents. No American president had ever faced a federal indictment or a state indictment for trying to overturn an election, or been named an unindicted co-conspirator in two other states for the same crime. No American president has faced hundreds of millions of dollars in fines for business fraud, defamation, and sexual abuse,” Stephanopoulos began.

Far from ordinary

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Stephanopoulos asserted that this election was far from ordinary, cautioning against viewing it as a typical presidential race saying the “scale of the abnormality is so staggering.”

Normal campaign

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“It’s all too easy to fall into reflexive habits, to treat this as a normal campaign, where both sides embrace the rule of law, where both sides are dedicated to a debate based on facts and the peaceful transfer of power. But that is not what’s happening this election year. Those bedrock tenets of democracy are being tested in a way we haven’t seen since the Civil War. It’s a test for the candidates, for those of us in the media, and for all of us as citizens,” Stephanopoulos said.

Biden’s warning

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There was no suggestion that Stephanopoulos’ comments were unplanned. Despite this, an ABC News representative did not address the inquiry regarding whether the anchor’s editorial was influenced by Biden’s warning.

Trump’s language

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During his address to the press, Biden emphasized Trump’s language and stated that the key concern for Americans in this election was the integrity of democracy and whether democracy was “still the sacred cause of America.”

Dictator

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“The defeated former president has made no secret of his attack on our democracy. He has said he wants to be a ‘dictator on day one,’ and so much more,” Biden said. “He tells supporters he is their ‘revenge’ and ‘retribution.’ When in God’s name have you heard another president say something like that? And he promised a ‘bloodbath’ when he loses again. We have to take this seriously.”

Presidential election

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He also urged the press to pay attention to the significant implications of this presidential election, as reported by Fox News Digital.

High stakes

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“Move past the horse race numbers and the ‘gotcha’ moments and the distractions and the sideshows that have come to dominate and sensationalize our politics, and focus on what’s actually at stake,” Biden said. “I think in your hearts, you know what’s at stake. The stakes couldn’t be higher.”