Biden To Charm Voters With "Punchy Exchanges"

Top party operatives are warning Biden aides that the president cannot retreat in response to the special counsel report that fueled concerns over his age and mental faculties. They say President Joe Biden, having largely shied away from interviews and press conferences, needs to be out in public far more.

They want to see him engage with the press and voters in the off-script and punchy exchanges he’s been known for in the past, which they believe will help chip away at concerns about the president’s mental acuity. They say that it’s worth the risk of potential slip-ups that could reinforce the image that he’s declining.

Biden allies and the White House press corps have been frustrated that the president’s aides have restricted Biden’s formal exchanges with the press. Though Biden often has shorter, unscripted engagements, he’s done fewer press conferences than his predecessors and often avoids opportunities to engage with the media when foreign leaders come to the White House.

“I would flood the zone, and I felt the same with Hillary [Clinton]. Because if you don’t, then the smallest thing becomes too easy for people and the media to focus on,” Reines said. “The answer to the president is not to put him out there zero times to prevent zero things. It’s to go out there, and have him say whatever it is.”