President Joe Biden can rely on one factor this tumultuous election 12 months, his prime aide says: his supporting forged.
White Home Chief of Employees Jeff Zients mentioned in an interview Wednesday that the Cupboard and senior White Home employees will stay in place for the steadiness of Biden’s first time period — confirming reporting final 12 months that Zients had requested senior personnel keep on by means of 2024.
“We’ve had extraordinary retention and people who find themselves dedicated to this president,” he mentioned. “So, sure, now we have the crew in place.”
Zients’ feedback got here as a part of a preview interview for Thursday’s State of the Union deal with, the place Biden must confront dismal polling in a probable re-election matchup towards Donald Trump and widespread voter doubts about Biden’s age.
Zients acknowledged the stress: “States of the Union are massive moments. You might argue that this can be a notably massive second, and I believe there’s nobody higher at dealing with excessive stakes than President Biden.”
“You’re going to see a really energized president,” he added. “It is a massive second. And this president rises to these massive moments.”
Previewing the themes and a number of the explicit coverage proposals within the deal with, Zients mentioned Biden would spotlight “tax equity and ensuring the rich and large firms pay their justifiable share” in addition to “massive progress on decreasing prices, combating inflation.”
“However on the similar time, we have to do extra,” he added.
Biden, Zients mentioned, may also squarely deal with reproductive rights, calling for a restoration of Roe v. Wade as his marketing campaign targets reasonable voters who’ve repeatedly rejected abortion bans on the poll field and extra just lately have specific outraged on the myriad methods the battle has seeped into different areas — together with the Alabama Supreme Court docket’s latest ruling successfully banning in vitro fertilization within the state.
Viewers also can count on Biden to name on Congress to behave on border safety and the stalled funding invoice that will ship navy help to Ukraine and Israel, Zients mentioned: “You’ll see the president combating again, in sure areas, like, the Republican Home’s refusal to take up the bipartisan nationwide safety invoice. The president feels there’s actual urgency there.”
Biden may also deal with the Israel-Hamas struggle “head-on,” Zients mentioned, amongst rising frustration inside Democratic circles — and the White Home itself — about Israel’s navy marketing campaign in Gaza and the continued humanitarian disaster there.
“The president is working hour by hour to barter a right away and sustained cease-fire in Gaza over a interval of a minimum of six weeks as a part of a deal that will launch hostages, and get considerably extra humanitarian help in,” he mentioned. “And he desires enduring peace within the area in order that Palestinians and Israelis can stay with safety, dignity in two states — one thing he’s actively working in the direction of day-after-day.”
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