OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
The White House has experienced unprecedented departures under President Joe Biden. According to a new report, First Lady Jill Biden’s office is now undergoing massive turnover as a top aide has departed.
Elizabeth Alexander, Jill Biden’s communications director, will take a brief leave of absence to lead the “messaging arm” of President Biden’s 2024 re-election campaign.
“The move speaks to how Biden’s campaign is still taking shape, one week after he announced he would seek another term. The campaign announced only two staff hires on its first day: campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez and principal deputy campaign manager Quentin Fulks,” Brookings reported.
“Since 2006, Elizabeth has been a steadfast advisor to President Biden and the first lady. Her deep communications knowledge and expertise will serve the campaign well — helping stand up a campaign communication team that will reach voters where they are across all forms of media while staying true to who Joe Biden is,” Anita Dunn, a Biden adviser, said in a statement.
Alexander is not the only departure from Jill Biden’s office.
Rory Brosius, who has been running the Joining Forces project, left her post last week. Sheila Casey, the wife of former Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey, will take over for Brosius.
“As a young military spouse walking into the East Wing to intern for Joining Forces in August of 2012 to joining the Biden-Harris Administration on day one to stand up Joining Forces, this has been the journey of a lifetime,” Brosius said in her message.
Jill Biden has also been caught up in leaks to the media, with reports saying she rages at staffers and tries to control her husband throughout the day.
The Brookings study found that the turnover rate of Biden’s top-level aides is at the second highest since former President Ronald Reagan was in office. The study found that 21 “A-Team staffers” were gone after two years.
The White House losing many top staffers comes as a new poll found former President Donald Trump leading President Biden in a new 2024 poll.
According to the latest Harvard-Harris poll, there has been a notable surge in support for Trump, suggesting a potential path to victory next year if he secures the GOP nomination. The poll results indicate that Trump continues to maintain a formidable presence, despite various legal challenges, while also enjoying a substantial lead over his Democratic counterparts.
The poll reveals a remarkable surge in popularity for Trump, who garnered 47 percent approval from respondents, surpassing Biden’s approval rating of 40 percent, giving Trump a clear 7-point lead.
The survey also assessed hypothetical contests involving Trump and other prominent Democrats. The results, for instance, showed Trump with 50 percent support compared to Vice President Kamala Harris, who trailed behind at 39 percent.
As for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has not yet declared his candidacy but is expected to as early as this week, the results showed him in a dead heat with Biden at 42 percent apiece, which was the same outcome as a potential DeSantis-Harris matchup.
Meanwhile, according to the survey, less than 33 percent of respondents believe that the country is moving in the right direction, which is a clear indication of the lack of confidence in Biden’s policies. Additionally, an alarming 66 percent of the participants expressed concern about the direction of the U.S. economy, an indication they believe it is heading in the wrong direction — a clear reflection of a perception that the current administration is unable to manage the country’s financial well-being.
At the same time, half of respondents reported that their personal finances have worsened during the Biden presidency. And according to the poll, a mere 21 percent of respondents expressed confidence in avoiding a potential recession.
Overall, there is a worrying trend of pessimism regarding the country’s economic prospects, which is likely to increase the likelihood of more Americans supporting Trump’s return to the presidency, given his reputation for being a capable leader in creating jobs and strengthening the economy.
Over the past few months, Biden’s approval ratings have been stagnant, hovering just above 40 percent.
However, the approval ratings of the GOP have slightly declined to 47 percent, and the Democratic Party’s approval is now tied with the Republicans at 47 percent. There has been a modest increase in congressional approval ratings to 36 percent.
