President Joe Biden wasn’t even president yet when his team maneuvered ways to make the 77-year-old politician seem younger than his age, per a report.
And it appears this has been a task that has hounded his team since.
For instance, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal, members of Jill Biden’s team were warned not to talk her up too much. Especially given that she is eight years younger than him and has more clarity.
“The more you talk her up, the more you make him look bad,” Michael LaRosa LaRosa, her press secretary at the time, said.
This was just one act in keeping up an apparent charade, the outlet reported.
As the years progressed, members of the Biden administration urged visitors to keep meetings on task.
This also meant limiting Biden’s interactions with important officials such as Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen.
Biden was also isolated in crucial moments — such as ahead of the U.S.’s pullout from Afghanistan — when lawmakers wanted a word with him.
Press aides were also told to keep anything negative regarding Biden away from their press kits.
As the race for the White House heated up in 2024, polls showed Biden trailing as he continually didn’t talk to his own pollsters.
A layer of protection between presidents and others is nothing new, but there were limits regarding who Biden could speak with, limits on what was said to him, and limits on the sources of information given to him.
This was especially true when Biden would speak to the public.
“They body him to such a high degree,” said a person who saw this firsthand.
The person said the “hand holding” is unlike anything they saw with other presidents.
This eventually unraveled more during the June debate with Donald Trump, and Biden was left to his own devices.
The WSJ gleaned vignettes for its article through interviews with about 50 people who were familiar with the situation.
Some thought this strategy worked and kept Biden productive.
Andrew Bates, a White House spokesman, said Biden “earned the most accomplished record of any modern commander in chief and rebuilt the middle class because of his attention to policy details that impact millions of lives.”
Bates said Biden has often asked for opinions from outside experts as he outlined his policies.
His team also took action when Biden continued to slip up.
Aides had to repeat instructions when attending events, including how to get on and off the stage.
Biden’s team also hired Jeffrey Katzenberg, a Hollywood mogul, to get Biden a voice coach when his voice started to fade.
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