As we reported early Friday, Joe Biden’s team came up with a new plan designed to keep him from looking old and weak as he shuffled back and forth across the White House lawn to Marine One.
The idea?
Walk with him to and from Marine One, standing between the media and Biden, reducing the number of unflattering shots highlighting his shuffling/looking elderly for the cameras.
READ MORE: Handlers Are at It Again: Biden Changes Routine Walking to Helicopter to Cover Up His Issues
But now that we’ve been tipped off about the new strategy, we’re now going to pay even more attention to the issue, because now they’ve highlighted it with this effort.
So let’s check what happened when Biden returned from New York on Friday. Sure looks like this confirms the report.
Biden is surrounded by his handlers as he arrives back at the White House following a disastrous, highly embarrassing trip to New York.
He takes no questions.pic.twitter.com/t2ig5UYl2y
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) April 26, 2024
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre got out of the back of the helicopter along with a bunch of the other aides/advisors, but they didn’t walk toward the White House immediately. They waited until Biden got off the helicopter and then moved like a phalanx toward Biden, walking on his left side to block him from being directly in front of the media as they walked past the cameras.
Now, there’s only so much they can do with this strategy; you can still see some of Biden’s rough gait. Plus, when he’s walking with a group of younger people his halting gait is an even greater contrast to theirs, since they don’t have that issue. So I don’t think it’s going to achieve what they want it to. But as I said, that’s typical Biden team response – cover-up rather than admitting there is an issue, in this case, physical “covering” Biden.
This strategy also prevents Biden from randomly taking questions, as his handlers are standing between him and the reporters and the distance makes it even harder for Biden to hear any questions. As my colleague Bob Hoge wrote, even The NY Times is now perturbed and speaking out about Biden’s failure to answer questions.
For anyone who understands the role of the free press in a democracy, it should be troubling that President Biden has so actively and effectively avoided questions from independent journalists during his term. The president occupies the most important office in our nation, and the press plays a vital role in providing insights into his thinking and worldview, allowing the public to assess his record and hold him to account.
That’s a big thing for them to finally be dragged into saying, that’s how much he’s set them off. But the media needs to be doing far more complaining and sounding off about these actions by the Biden team and they likely wouldn’t since so many of them seem concentrated on trying to get him back in the White House.
Given the responses on X, I think the tactic isn’t going to work.
Actually would be better if his handlers changed their gait to match his. Watching young people walk next to him only makes it more obvious. https://t.co/9pOFUBMTbW
— Jane (@OrthoA) April 26, 2024
We are less than a month away from White House interns forming a Roman testudo around Biden every time he moves in public. https://t.co/Ehjxm5fT4X
— HMSP (@_HMSP) April 26, 2024
Warning, graphic language:
Wow
Walk like Joe Biden pic.twitter.com/vbmCDdN6mY— Brandon (@BRAD13857425) April 26, 2024
Related:
Shocker: NY Times Absolutely Shreds Joe Biden for Hiding From the Media
