OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
The White House is continuing to shed key members of President Joe Biden’s team amid his historically low approval ratings that continue to drop.
According to a Wednesday report, White House Director of Communications Kate Bedingfield is leaving the administration soon.
White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain said: “Without Kate Bedingfield’s talent and tenacity, Donald Trump might still be in the White House, the Rescue Plan and the Infrastructure Law might still be unrealized goals, and Kentaji Brown Jackson might not be sitting on the Supreme Court.”
“She has played a huge role in everything the President has achieved—from his second term as Vice President, through the campaign, and since coming to the White House,” Klain continued.
“Her strategic acumen, intense devotion to the President’s agenda, and fierce work on his behalf are unmatched. She will continue to remain a critical player in moving the Biden agenda forward from the outside,” he added.
POLITICO reported that Bedingfield is set to leave the administration within weeks and that she has already begun telling her colleagues she’s out.
Bedingfield’s departure is just the latest in a growing number of ranking officials that have left the Biden administration.
“Her exit comes on the heels of Jen Psaki’s decision to step down as press secretary and during a period of internal uncertainty over the structure and makeup of the White House’s larger press operations. In addition to Psaki, a number of mid-and lower-level press aides have left in the past two months,” POLITICO reported.
“Democrats have grown openly critical of the Biden team’s communications strategy in recent weeks and months. Longtime Biden aide Anita Dunn recently returned to the White House as a senior adviser and has been working to shore up the operation,” the report added.
POLITICO reporter Alex Thompson appeared to criticize the Biden administration’s handling of the departure.
“I called the White House at 2:53pm to ask for comment and told them we were running it. They asked for more time to check with folks. I gave it to them. WSJ pubbed at 3:11pm with a statement from Klain,” Thompson tweeted.
here's our story.https://t.co/bYFhoMhWI0
— Alex Thompson (@AlexThomp) July 6, 2022
He followed that tweet with a link to his coverage of the news, writing that the White House “did not return a request for comment.”
In a later tweet, he added, “Good luck to the White House staffer who gets a 2 minute long deadline next time.”
good luck to the White House staffer who gets a 2 minute long deadline next time. https://t.co/sgI8ZT4fA1
— Alex Thompson (@AlexThomp) July 6, 2022
Other reporters agreed with Thompson that they have been shabbily treated by the current administration.
“This sounds so familiar!” Washington Post White House reporter Tyler Pager tweeted, Fox News reported.
Alex Ward, POLITICO national security reporter, confirmed, “The White House does this All. The. Time.”
“Bad form,” tweeted CNN White House correspondent Kate Bennett.
NBC News senior reporter Ben Collins wrote, “Sounds like they need a new Comms director.”
Fellow POLITICO White House reporter Max Tani tweeted, “if you’re a comms person, it’s not your job to run interference for news outlets that you prefer or that you’ve given the exclusive to…”
if you're a comms person, it's not your job to run interference for news outlets that you prefer or that you've given the exclusive to… https://t.co/2LQEu9dNwx
— Max Tani (@maxwelltani) July 6, 2022
Meanwhile, Biden’s approval ratings continue to decline substantially and are now at the lowest point of his presidency days after the U.S. Supreme Court decided to overturn Roe v. Wade.
In fact, according to the Real Clear Politics average of polling, Biden’s approval rating now stands at just under 38 percent.
Another day, another fresh all-time low for Biden job approval on RCP, under 38 for the first time. pic.twitter.com/EIJMMNucHb
— Phil Kerpen (@kerpen) June 29, 2022
The Daily Wire adds:
Biden’s plunge to his lowest point yet came five days after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, which Democrats have hoped would catalyze a resurgence of support for Democrats.
Biden, in a desperate effort to boost his flagging support, resorted to another hyperventilated, hyperbolic attack on conservatives.
“Folks, let’s get one thing straight: The ultra-MAGA agenda has always been about taking away women’s rights, in every single state,” he tweeted.
The president’s handlers appear to have settled on the term ‘MAGA’ and ‘Ultra MAGA’ as one to derogatorily refer to Republicans, especially those who support his predecessor. He first used the term during a May speech when he said, “Let me tell you about this ultra-MAGA agenda. It’s extreme, as most MAGA things are.”
“The White House works aggressively to paint Republicans and their policies as an ‘ultra MAGA agenda’ in a push to overcome the president’s brutal approval ratings and voters’ frustration with high inflation to help Democrats maintain control of Congress,” USA Today reported at the time.
