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Biden White House atmosphere is transformed
WASHINGTON, Jan 23, 2021 (BSS/AFP) – Camped out in bare offices, President
Joe Biden’s new White House team has spent its first three days scrambling
for things like binder clips and IT support — oh, and trying to save the
country from multiple crises.
They took over leadership of the world’s most powerful, wealthy and
innovative nation on Wednesday. But after a nasty transition period from the
Donald Trump administration, incoming staff face some of the problems an
ordinary renter might face in a new apartment.
The entire premises got a deep cleaning job that CNN reported cost $500,000
and the Oval Office has been revamped.
But rows of empty shelves and walls stripped of decoration make a less than
homely atmosphere in the warren of offices occupied by Press Secretary Jen
Psaki and her media operation.
On her first full day, Meghan Hays, director of message planning, had to
write on her cellphone because the computer didn’t work. Another staffer
asked if anyone had seen binder clips, before rummaging unsuccessfully
through an assortment of office supplies in a big cardboard box.
Yet even if Biden’s crew haven’t had time to hang pictures, they’ve already
transformed the White House.
– Masked up –
Visually, the most obvious difference is that everyone now wears masks
against Covid-19. A picture of Biden at the Resolute Desk on his first day,
sporting a black mask, defined the new era.
Trump almost never wore a mask in public, fearing it would send a message
of weakness. He certainly never wore one publicly in the Oval Office,
wondering aloud what “presidents, prime ministers, dictators, kings, queens”
would think of such a thing.
Covid screening has also been toughened, another dramatic shift at a
building which became a viral hotspot under Trump.
The number of journalists allowed in, for example, has been reduced to a
strict 80 people a day and they must not only wear masks, but undergo a rapid
test.
– Science is back –
The clampdown reflects Biden’s number one priority — defeating a pandemic
that has already killed 400,000 Americans and hobbled entire sectors of the
economy.
To assist him, he has brought back the renowned infectious diseases
specialist Dr Anthony Fauci who was essentially banished under Trump for
speaking plainly.
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Gone are the days when the president might come to the briefing room podium
and suggest that people inject bleach to counter the coronavirus, as Trump
did during a wild press conference last April.
Gone too are the days when the president loomed behind the experts,
frequently interrupting or simply overriding what they were trying to say.
Recalling those moments on Thursday, Fauci said they were “uncomfortable
because they were not based on scientific fact.”
To be back in the briefing room and “let the science speak — it is
somewhat of a liberating feeling,” mused the veteran scientist.
– Volume down –
Along with a promise of openness, the Biden administration is telling
Americans to expect a quieter, calmer mood.
No more tweet storms, no more insulting journalists on national television,
no more insults full stop.
“If you’re ever working with me and I hear you treat another colleague with
disrespect, talk down to someone, I promise you I will fire you on the spot,”
Biden told staff on the first day.
Psaki is channeling that vibe with a resurrection of the daily press
briefing.
For years, this was an integral part of the White House messaging system,
an almost hallowed ritual.
But under Trump, the sessions largely died out, replaced by the boss’s
preference for endless tweets and hour-long interviews with friendly hosts on
Fox News and right-wing radio.
When the briefings did happen, particularly under Kayleigh McEnany, they
became less briefings than sarcasm-filled monologues against the media.
In the first three days, at least, Psaki has turned back the clock.
The change of tone under Biden points to deeper goals, said Carl Tobias, a
professor at the University of Richmond’s School of Law.
“It goes beyond style but style is also important,” he said. “I think
they’ve been very clear that they want to dramatically change the way the fed
government works.”
“It’s a radical departure from Trump, who delighted in busting all of the
norms, all of the rules, all of the laws, all of the customs, right up to the
very end,” he said.
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