President Biden's Communications Strategy Shift

In recent weeks, the White House has shifted their messaging approach in ways the press hasn't yet noticed, but make a lot of sense.

There has been a raft of recent stories about frustrations inside and outside the White House about President Biden’s message not “breaking through.” As Edward Isaac Dovere recently wrote in CNN:

Aides regularly talk about how little traction they’re getting from one-off Biden appearances or events and then – whether on inflation, the baby formula shortage or mass shootings or the other crises landing on Biden’s desk – he’s often left looking like he’s in a reactive crouch on the issues that matter most to voters rather than setting the agenda. Sometimes clipped moments from those speeches that the White House puts out on social media generate huge traffic but, at least as often, moments from the President appearing to be caught off-guard go viral on their own.

Given some tough poll numbers, a brutal political environment, and a seemingly neverending cascade of crises, it’s no surprise that President Biden’s preferred political message isn’t dominating the airwaves. And with looming midterm elections to decide the fate of the country, a general state of anxiety is understandable. However, I think these stories might be a bit behind the curve. I noticed a shift in the Biden White House’s communications strategy — one that I believe will increase the frequency with which he “breaks through.”