The White House is adding more people to its scheduling and advance teams as President Biden prepares for a robust travel schedule in the coming months as he prepares for a fierce re-election battle against former President Donald Trump. This is a sign that progress is being made.
Sources familiar with White House internal affairs told The Hill that additional openings have created a larger advance team at the White House than in previous years.
The White House has signaled it is prioritizing travel, directing limited staff to advance offices, especially important in an election year.
“This is a sign that all systems are coming to a halt,” said one person familiar with Biden and his team's thinking. “They're gearing up for what's to come and there will be a lot of travel and messaging events in the near future.”
White House officials confirmed that several positions will be added to the team, but did not provide exact numbers. But the official said they make up only a small portion of the White House team.
The creation of the Scheduling and Advance Division, a team that plans, designs and creates events before the president makes public appearances, signals a major shift from the nature of the 2020 Biden-Trump presidential campaign. are doing.
The fight took place in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, before a vaccine was developed, and Biden was seen campaigning primarily from the basement of his Wilmington home.
While this reality was initially seen as a limitation for Biden, it ultimately became an asset in focusing national attention on Trump, leading to a referendum on his treatment of the country. Ta.
As President Trump seeks to turn the 2024 presidential election into a referendum against Biden, the travel companies' moves show his team recognizes the need to advance the president's re-election bid. .
“As we saw when the president took his State of the Union vision across the country, talked about an economy based on the middle class, and protected our core freedoms like choice, Joe Biden We're committed to getting out there and hearing directly from the American people,'' White House Press Secretary Andrew Bates said. “He's looking forward to more.”
The Biden campaign is also ramping up advance operations in tandem with the White House's increase in advance hiring, according to one of the people familiar with the plan.
As the general election gets underway, Biden has already begun putting together a grueling travel schedule. Last week, he visited Nevada and Arizona, two states important to his re-election bid. He then wrapped up his trip in Texas, holding fundraisers in Houston and Dallas.
Biden is scheduled to visit North Carolina this week, along with Vice President Kamala Harris, another state the Biden campaign is looking to add to its column. Later this week, he will head to New York for a major fundraiser at Radio City Music Hall with former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton.
The additional portion of the advance office will be related to domestic travel, especially since Biden is expected to have little international travel through November. The only destination he is currently planning to travel to is to attend the G7 Summit to be held in Italy in June.
The investment in the advance team comes on the heels of turmoil within the department.
Earlier this month, Politico reported that the White House Counsel's Office had opened an investigation into a White House aide accused of verbal harassment by fellow staffers.
As a result of the investigation, Ian Merle, the deputy director of presidential advancement, was forced to resign. Bree Moore, who served as director of press advancement, also recently resigned after facing criticism from the press corps for her inappropriate behavior with reporters.
However, the increase in the employment of advance troops is seen as a positive for Mr. Biden, who is trailing in opinion polls in key states and whose presidential approval ratings are sluggish.
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In CNN's approval ratings released last week, only 37% of those surveyed approved of Biden's performance.
For Biden to win, he will need to get his message across to voters in states like Michigan and Wisconsin, highlighting what has been accomplished and what's to come.
“He needs to get out more and speak to people directly at message events,” the first source said. “That’s why we need more people on the ground to fire on all cylinders.”
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