Some White House officials are criticizing President Biden for his lack of leadership and “conspicuous absence” in the final weeks before President-elect DonTrump takes office on January 20, according to Politico.
“There is no leadership coming from the White House,” another Democrat close to senior lawmakers told Politico. “There is a total void.”
Biden has taken a back seat since Vice President Kamala Harris’ defeat, largely avoiding lengthy press briefings and interviews. It’s a strategy that has frustrated some in the White House and within his party.
The report says Biden allies even admit he has been ‘conspicuously absent’ from the broader discourse as Democrats move toward losing power when Republicans take control of the White House and both houses of Congress next month.
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President Biden further reduced his already minimal press engagements following President-elect Trump’s election victory over Vice President Harris. (Left: Pete Marovich/Getty Images; right: Oleg Nikishin/Getty Images)
“He has been so cavalier and selfish in the way he approaches the final weeks of his job,” a former White House official told Politico.
“If his speaking out doesn’t achieve real policy goals, there’s no point in speaking out,” said a former Democratic campaign adviser to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.
Other Democratic lawmakers and strategists spoke on the record with Politico to explain that Biden’s actions are a natural consequence of an election that Vice President Kamala Harris lost to Trump.
“The elections have consequences: there is a new sheriff in town”, Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., said.
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Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., said other Democrats are seeking the party’s attention as power shifts to Trump. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., said other Democrats are seeking leadership roles in the party.
“I still think he has a lot to learn going forward,” Coons said of Biden. “But, you know, there are a lot of other standard-bearers crying out for attention.”
Democrats California Governor Gavin Newsom and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer have been proposed as possible presidential candidates for the Democrats in 2028.
Other Democrats also argued that reducing Biden’s engagements with the press was part of his political strategy.
“That’s just her strategy, even if people agree with it or not: keep your head down,” said Mike Ceraso, a Democratic campaign strategist. “I think he and President Obama viewed the transition period as not being about making noise or undermining the new administration.”
“In the conversations I have, they don’t even mention the president. It’s a little sad,” said a Democrat close to the senior parliamentarians. “It feels like Trump is already president.”
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