A former top staffer in the Biden White House said on Fox News Sunday that former First Lady Jill Biden’s strategy to prop up former President Joe Biden in public is only harming the Biden legacy.
Michael LaRosa, who served as a longtime press secretary to Jill Biden, admitted that Biden’s team is mishandling the fallout regarding his cognitive decline and Joe Biden’s initial decision to seek reelection in 2024. Despite his affection for the Bidens, the former aide urged Jill and Joe Biden to reconsider how they are handling media appearances in the post-presidency period because their current strategy may be doing more harm than good.
“I’ve tried to be loyal, but try to be candid at the same time. They’ve got to start adjusting the people that they’re listening to because none of it has gotten them anywhere good so far,” LaRosa concluded.
Responding to a question about why Biden continues to be pushed into high-pressure public appearances, LaRosa said that Biden’s inner circle is likely sensitive to how history will judge their choices.
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“They’re right to fear that the history is being written right now about their legacy. And I said this back in February of 2024, when he was still in the race that if he loses to Donald Trump, much of his legacy will be erased because it was a really big gamble to take to run again,” LaRosa said.
LaRosa argued the Bidens appear gripped by a “fight or flight mentality” as they face growing criticism. Rather than controlling the narrative early, the team waited too long.
“The media historians and Democrats will only define him but whether he win or loses. And now that they are being blamed for that, they’re probably feeling the fight or flight mentality where they have to get over, get out there and try to define it,” LaRosa continued. “My question to them is, why are you starting now? I would have been starting 10 months ago to start to define his legacy as soon as he dropped out of the race.”
LaRosa previously said the administration ignored internal concerns and “gaslighted” voters about Biden’s waning support within his own party. LaRosa admitted Biden’s team feared unscripted moments because they didn’t trust him to not make a gaffe and because the former president lacked the ability to compete in today’s media-heavy political landscape.
Earlier this month, Biden resurfaced with a pair of high-profile interviews, first appearing on the BBC to discuss his withdrawal from the 2024 race and criticize Trump’s foreign policy. Days later, he joined Jill Biden on “The View” to defend his cognitive fitness and reflect on his administration’s legacy.
In the forthcoming book “Original Sin,” authors Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson reveal that Biden’s aides privately discussed the possibility of the president needing a wheelchair during a potential second term due to his deteriorating physical health. The book further reports that Biden frequently forgot the names of key aides and that cabinet secretaries believe they were deliberately shielded from the president by his inner circle to conceal his decline.
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