While Joe Biden scrambles to prove he’s a president worthy—and physically capable—of another four years, his top adviser told White House staffers Wednesday to tune out the “noise” and focus on governing.
That’s according to multiple reports that cited people who attended an “all-staff call” held by Jeff Zients, the president’s chief of staff.
Staffers on the call told the Associated Press the meeting, which Biden didn’t personally attend, had the vibe of a “pep talk.” Zients reportedly stressed the stakes of the election and re-iterated that Biden, 81, plans to win and serve another four year term despite Thursday’s debate debacle.
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“As for last Thursday, the president said it himself: He didn’t have a great night, but that was one night,” Zients said, according to Bloomberg. “We’re in a period... A period of intense noise out there. People are looking for chatter. Tune it out.”
Biden’s mental fitness has been called into question by some of the biggest names in his own party, with calls for him to step aside growing as poll after poll shows him losing ground to Donald Trump.
The Hill reported that Anita Dunn, a senior White House adviser, acknowledged that there’d be challenging days ahead. Those tough days for the White House appear to be the present, with White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre struggling through press briefings in back-to-back days on Tuesday and Wednesday as she attempted to defend Biden.
Jean-Pierre confirmed the meeting took place on Wednesday and acknowledged that the “last few days have been challenging.” She added that Zients told staff that his office door was always open to hear any concerns they have.
Zients urged staffers to let Biden’s campaign worry about what’s next for him so they can continue governing, The Washington Post reported. He also reportedly told them to hold their “head high” and be proud of what they’d accomplished in three-and-a-half years.
“The president and his team have been through the highest of highs and the lowest of lows, and you know what? That will continue, and the only way to get through it is as a team,” Zients said, according to the Post. “There's so much to be proud of and so much more we can do together.”
