NBC Op-Ed: Biden’s Gaffes Are His ‘Authenticity,’ Shouldn’t Be Smothered by Staff

Our friend Gabriel Hays at Fox News reported an NBCNews.com “Think” piece defended President Joe Biden from his own staff on Tuesday, arguing that his handlers correcting his gaffes and walking back his off-the-cuff remarks ruins his “authenticity”

Biden needs to be skeptical of his managers and trust his instincts going forward. Joshua Spivak headlined this article. 

Biden’s dip in the polls is not a sign that his advisors need to rein him back in 

His off-the-cuff remarks and some gaffes are a part of his authenticity.

Spivak began: “Facing relentless inflation, the prospect of losing both houses of Congress in November’s midterm elections and consistently poor polling numbers, President Joe Biden is looking to change the conversation. But he appears to be running into a particular problem — his own staff.”

Conservatives and Republicans alike are looking for “Oh, Lord God almighty! May Biden follow this advice!” 

Presidents and other elected officials are frequently told that they are selling the wrong message. But Biden is right to take a skeptical look at this complaint. The reality is that if there is one skill that presidents have — and one for which they must trust their own instincts — it’s messaging. 

Spivak recalled a recent NBC investigative scoop that Biden’s staff are running a “clean-up campaign” for his gaffes, including his shambolic claim that Putin couldn’t stay in power. Biden resented the walk-back, that this “undermines him and smothers his authenticity,” and Spivak agreed. “When they try to sell the wrong message, presidents and other elected officials get told often. Biden rightly takes a critical look at the complaint.”

Then and now, Biden’s strategy — one that has also guided Trump and many other successful politicians — is to exude authenticity. It is normal to make off-the-cuff remarks and occasionally make a mistake.Negative aspects of too much management by outsiders are possible

As Biden tries to find a new winning message, his own instincts are the ones he should trust. Poor poll numbers, largely shaped by recent events and economic developments, don’t negate the fact that presidents have the best feel for their own electorates.  

Biden’s skill in messaging was necessary for him to get this far. Democrats will likely not see any gains from attempting to stop this skill. Instead, the party needs to adopt the wisdom employed by other flagging but ultimately victorious administrations in the past and “Let Biden Be Biden.”

Yes, Biden should be Biden. The media has argued that Uncle Joe’s gaffes have been a constant feature over the years. 

This analysis doesn’t seem to be all that terrible. He cited Donald Trump, who “has been panned for not listening to political spinners saying he should tone down his message… his ultracombative style and extreme policy articulation on immigration and trade were crucial to his winning the Republican nomination and the presidency in 2016.” But, he said that his “ultracombative” style had already won the day.