The incoming Biden administration “broke barriers” on Sunday when they announced an all-female White House senior communications team.
President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris today announced new members of the White House staff who will… https://t.co/KIE82YhfZ7— The White House (@The White House) 1606688291
"I am proud to announce today the first senior White House communications team comprised entirely of women. These qualified, experienced communicators bring diverse perspectives to their work and a shared commitment to building this country back better," President-elect Joe Biden said in a statement.
The news was warmly welcomed by many across social media, praising the decision to hire all women as “awesome” and “incredible”.
Means so much to little girls to see women in important positions. This isn’t a team that lies while wearing cross… https://t.co/eMIoD2mWGO— Ana Navarro-Cárdenas (@Ana Navarro-Cárdenas) 1606698669
“The future is female for the White House comms team!” one person wrote. “As a young female just starting out on my comms career journey, I cannot explain how cool this is to see,” another person said.
There’s a temptation to look at Biden’s hirings and say: 3rd Obama term. But, on at least one impt pt that’s not tr… https://t.co/OImHB7mrAD— Sam Stein (@Sam Stein) 1606693160
Kamala Harris, who will soon make history as America’s first female vice president, described the team as "experienced, talented, and barrier-shattering”.
Our country is facing unprecedented challenges and to overcome them we need to communicate clearly, honestly, and t… https://t.co/wG1bhqWWNN— Kamala Harris (@Kamala Harris) 1606691523
The team will consist of Jen Psaki as the press secretary, Kate Bedingfield as the White House communications director, Pili Tobar as the deputy. Karine Jean-Pierre will serve as principal deputy press secretary.
Honored to work again for @JoeBiden, a man I worked on behalf of during the Obama-Biden Admin as he helped lead eco… https://t.co/QQP1WoOd8r— Jen Psaki (@Jen Psaki) 1606687264
Symone Sanders, who initially worked on the Bernie Sanders campaign, will serve as a senior adviser and chief spokesperson for the vice president. Ashley Etienne will also work for the vice president. Elizabeth Alexander will serve as communications director for first lady Jill Biden.
In a highly male-dominated field, the announcement proves to be “groundbreaking” for many. The news, however, did spark some debate about whether the “girl boss” decision was enough to move away from the Trump administration’s highly conservative agenda.
“excuse me, i’m speaking. no you cannot have healthcare,” Brandy Jenson wrote sarcastically, seemingly referencing a lack of commitment to Medicare for All from centrist democrats.
“excuse me, i’m speaking. no you cannot have healthcare.” https://t.co/xFX9gt9oCw— Brandy Jensen (@Brandy Jensen) 1606693943
“Excuse me, I'm speaking. Joe Biden will NOT ban fracking,” another person joked.
Kayleigh Mcenany, the current press secretary responded critically to the news, saying that Donald Trump also has an all-female press team and the “fake news” refuses to cover it. This appears, however, to be false.
Whatever you may think of the news, one thing’s for sure – almost gone are the days of convoluted press briefings of dodging questions, attacking reporters, and pontificating about “fake news”. As one person wrote: “Will be the strangest press briefings: 1) Question 2) Answer.”