The handover of “President-elect” Biden is in progress.
A week ago, the U.S. General Services Agency (GSA) finally officially began the transition. According to Bloomberg, on November 30th local time, Biden will receive the president’s daily briefing for the first time and meet with the transition team advisers after the briefing.
In addition to docking with the federal government, the Biden team is also busy with its own cabinet formation. According to the Washington Post, on November 29th local time, Biden issued a statement announcing the proposed list of key positions of the White House communications liaison team.
“Today I am proud to announce that this is the first senior communications team in White House history to be composed entirely of women, and these qualified and experienced news and communications staff will bring different perspectives in their work and work together to make this country better.”
The Biden team made history and formed a “communication women’s army”. Which “female generals” are included? What impact will they have on the Biden team?” Foreign affairs” will take you to sort out the article.
Who are the “women generals”?
Biden’s communications liaison team consists of seven women, three African-American and one Latino. Jane Psaki, a former spokesman of the U.S. State Department and the White House Director of Public Relations, will serve as White House Press Secretary.
Moore, a member of Biden’s transition team, commented that “when she comes to the microphone, not only does she look solemnly, but more importantly, she is also trustworthy.”
Kate Bedingfield, a former deputy manager and director of advocacy for the Biden campaign, will serve as the director of the White House Communications Liaison Office; Peely Tobar, the communications director of the Biden campaign, will serve as the deputy director of the White House Communications Liaison Office.
Harris campaign chief of staff Karin Jean-Pierre will serve as Deputy Press Secretary of the White House; Simone Sanders, Biden’s senior campaign adviser, will serve as Vice President Harris’ senior adviser and chief spokesman. Ashley Etienne, senior adviser to the Biden campaign, will serve as Harris’ communications liaison office. Elizabeth Alexander, the press secretary under Biden’s presidency, will serve as the director of the communications liaison office of Biden’s wife Jill.
Biden’s senior aide, Anita Dunn, noted that the Biden team chose a communications liaison group with all women, intended to help closely coordinate the various senior administrations.” They are a very cohesive team with extraordinary strength and diverse views.
In addition, Biden will nominate Neela Tanden, CEO of the American Progress Center, to head the U.S. Administration and Budget Office (OMB), according to the Washington Post, according to the Washington Post. Tanden’s parents are Indian immigrants, and she may become the first Indian woman to head the agency. Tanden worked for former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and helped Obama draft the Affordable Care Act.
Biden will also appoint Princeton University labor economist Ross as chairman of the White House Economic Advisory Committee (CEA). Rose is African-American, and she may become the first minority woman to serve as the chairman of the committee.
The Washington Post noted that Biden is very good at using his political power to break down barriers. He chose Harris as his running mate, which would also make her the first female vice president in American history and the first vice president to have black and Asian descent.
Biden also said he would nominate the first black woman to be the Supreme Court justice if he could fill the vacant seat on the Supreme Court.
Biden’s White House Chief of Staff Ron Klein noted that “Biden has experience advocating for women’s equal rights in the United States and around the world, and the announcement of the appointment of the communications team is only a continuation of his previous work.”
How important is the White House communication team?
According to CNN, although politicians always make false statements, the long tradition of “telling the truth” still exists on the White House rostrum. Press secretaries always do their best to advance the presidential agenda, but they also firmly express the facts to protect the credibility of the government in the hearts of the people. Anyone who deviates from this practice will inevitably be punished.
However, this tradition of “telling the truth” has been challenged in the past four years. On January 21, 2017, former White House spokesman and White House communications director Spicer lied to reporters on the second day of his tenure, insisting that Trump’s inauguration attracted “the largest crowd” and denounced the dissenting media. The Guardian commented that Spicer ruined his credibility as a White House spokesman in just five minutes.
In addition, Spicer is also known for his grumpy temper and tough attitude towards White House reporters. He has repeatedly mistaken the cities where the United States have been terrorized and mispronounced the names of foreign leaders. Spicer also made false statements about World War II, which caused opposition in public opinion at home and abroad.
Trump’s White House communications team has upended the way the administration communicates with the media. The Associated Press pointed out that compared with previous administrations, Trump’s communication team rarely held press conferences, and even if they were held, they were always full of lies.
CNN wrote that the Trump administration has long lied to the American people, which has reduced people’s trust in the government. The so-called facts and evidence have become tools of partisanship. CNN believes that of all the challenges Biden faces after taking office, reshaping the credibility of factual evidence will be one of the most difficult challenges.
What will be the impact of the “Communication Women’s Army”?
Harris said in a statement that “The choice of these professional news correspondents highlights the long-standing commitment of the Biden team to build a government that can represent the best qualities of the country.”
Harris also pointed out that the United States is facing unprecedented challenges, including the coronavirus epidemic, the economic crisis, the climate crisis and racial inequality. To address these challenges, we need to communicate clearly, honestly and transparently with the American people. This experienced, talented and good communication team will help us do this.
Biden also issued a statement saying, “One of the most important responsibilities of the President of the United States is to communicate directly and truthfully with the American people. This team will build a bridge between the American people and the White House.
Biden’s communications team is mostly the Obama-era “old faces” who have deep connections with the White House press corps. This means that their relationship with the media will be more harmonious in the future. The Associated Press pointed out that the Biden team will obviously return to a more traditional way of media operation. The women’s team responsible for Biden’s communication work is expected to communicate more steadily and effectively with media reporters.
According to the Washington Post, the male perspective still dominates political news reporting, and this “communication women’s army” will certainly affect the way media reporters report on the government. “If someone wants to cover the story of the Biden team, then he’ll quote at least one woman,” Dunn said.
The Washington Post analysis also reflects Biden’s campaign promise that he will build a diverse government to help the U.S. deal with the coronavirus and economic crisis. These appointment decisions also reflect that Biden has received a lot of support from women’s political forces in the 2020 presidential election.
CNN pointed out that so far, Biden’s series of personnel appointment decisions have shown that Biden plans to include people of different races, genders and ideas in important positions to ensure that the interests of the general public in the United States are represented and taken into account in decision-making.
