White House reporters have detailed the distinct difference between President Donald Trump and former President Joe Biden — Trump is everywhere, while Biden was kept mostly hidden during his term in office.
According to an op-ed from Politico, from the first minute of Trump’s inauguration, he began to advance his America First agenda, wasting no time talking to both the press and his supporters about his upcoming plans to get the U.S. back on track.
This included signing sweeping executive orders immediately cutting off the Biden administration’s refugee operations and pardoning over 1,500 people who were arrested over their involvement in the Capitol riots in January 2021.
“As fast as the movers changed out the White House furniture, the country went from an invisible president, unable to command the spotlight, to an omnipresent one who wants the public’s attention at all times,” Politico reporters Eli Stokols and Dasha Burns wrote.
There was also a marked difference in the number of reporters who were allowed into the Oval Office upon Trump’s return, twice the number of the usual 13-member White House press pool that is usually seen.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who is yet to hold a formal press briefing, reportedly said she hopes the press are “ready to work their asses off” after taking a “four-year vacation” during Biden’s time in office.
Politico further reported that Trump’s new staff are not “gatekeeping” the president this time around regarding his social media posts and talking to reporters, and are instead just managing the “chaos” around the president.
A veteran of the first Trump’s first term speaking anonymously to Politico, told the outlet Trump’s availability to the press was a “double-edged sword.”
“It’s a double-edged sword for White House staff. When he answers every question, he runs the risk of taking away from his own message,” the ex-White House staffer said.
Republican communication consultant Kevin Madden told Politico, Trump and his team are using Biden’s lack of presence during his term to their advantage.
“They are better at this than they were in 2016,” Madden, told Politico, “And they are using the contrast between them and the Biden administration to their advantage.”
Madden noted Trump’s administration are “moving with a certain level of volume and intensity that they believe will help them overwhelm their critics and reinforce the momentum they have with their allies,” adding Trump no longer has to rely on legacy media for coverage, and can now tap into other platforms, including podcasters like Joe Rogan who has millions of monthly listeners.
