President Joe Biden‘s White House continues to struggle in its handling of the debt ceiling negotiations — and its aides are now engaging in an entitled and ungrateful complaint campaign against the mainstream media‘s coverage of their handling of the issue.
According to Politico‘s West Wing Playbook, Biden‘s aides have “complained that reporters are not framing the debate as one in which Republicans are using the debt ceiling, and the possibility of economic catastrophe, to force policy concessions.”
The White House‘s claims that its use of policies is purely for policy’s sake and have never attempted to bully lawmakers are unserious and laughable, especially given that House Republicans have done precisely what they said they would do in order to rein in spending — which was a major reason the GOP won the House majority in the 2022 midterms.
Not helping Biden‘s case is Press Secretary Karine Jean–Pierre‘s baffling and contradictory claims about the debt ceiling, which only further glaringly illustrate the administration‘s inept handling of the debt ceiling.
But the White House‘s discontent with the press coverage also ignores the proven approach used successfully for 10 of the last 12 debt ceiling increases — spending cuts supported by a majority of the American people.
Recent polls show President Biden has reached new lows in overall approval and support for his economic and immigration policies. Even Democrats agree that the country is on the wrong track, despite their party controlling two–thirds of Washington politics.
While it‘s clear that the mainstream media played a role in getting Joe Biden into the White House in 2020 — and remains committed to propagating his agenda — it‘s puzzling why the White House continues to harbor resentment towards the press. After all, it was the mainstream media that censored Hunter Biden‘s laptop from hell and allowed Joe Biden to hide in his basement largely without serious scrutiny, and it was the press that ran negative stories on Donald Trump even if they weren‘t credible.
If President Biden‘s White House is looking to turn the tide against its poor approval and support in the polls, then maybe it‘s time for West Wing aides to be more thankful for the support the press provided in getting Joe Biden elected — and shift its focus from complaining to doing something that will actually benefit the country.