In a first in America's history, President-elect Joe Biden on Sunday appointed an all-female team to fill up the ranks of the White House press team. The selection was jointly made by Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. The team will be led by Kate Bedingfield, former deputy campaign communications director for Biden while he was the Vice President.
Most of the women appointed in the team come with a great deal of experience in Washington and share close ties with Biden. Biden's announcement is also part of his widely publicized promise of building a diverse administration that reflects the country.
An All-Female Show
The all-female team boasts some of the biggest names in US politics. "Communicating directly and truthfully to the American people is one of the most important duties of a President, and this team will be entrusted with the tremendous responsibility of connecting the American people to the White House," Biden said in a statement.
Longtime Democrat spokesperson, Jen Psaki, who was President Barack Obama's White House communications director, has been nominated for the role of press secretary. Karine Jean Pierre, who was earlier Harris' chief of staff, will serve as a principal deputy press secretary to Biden.
Besides, the two top press aides to Vice-President-elect Kamala Harris will be Symone Sanders and Ashley Etienne. Unlike cabinet positions, the press office does not require Senate confirmation, which directly confirms the names in this team that will be taking care of the press relations once Biden and team take office on January 20.
Biden Keeps His Promise
Elizabeth Alexander, another senior campaign advisor, will serve as Jill Biden's communications director. The announcement of the all-female team is part of Biden's promise to have a diverse administration that will take up the challenge of running the country in one of the most troubled times.
The incoming Biden administration also plans to bring back the daily press briefing, which the Trump administration had done away with owing to strenuous relationship with the media. In fact, the Trump administration at one point went more than a year without a formal press briefing.
Meanwhile, Biden reportedly is planning to nominate Neera Tanden, president and CEO of the liberal think tank Center for American Progress, as director of the Office of Management and Budget. However, nothing is confirmed yet. Also, on Monday Biden will be receiving his first presidential daily briefing, a top secret intelligence brief, which finally became possible following the announcement last week that the transition process had begun.
