President Joe Biden may be considering a shakeup of the White House staff as his approval rating has fallen to record lows and the administration has failed to win the public's confidence on its handling of a number of crises, NBC News reported Tuesday.
Biden has faulted his staff for their inability to come up with a winning message ahead of the midterms, sources close to the White House told NBC News. He's also accused staff of undermining him by walking back his statements immediately after he makes them. The White House has consistently had to clarify Biden's remarks; on three occasions staff walked back the president's commitment to come to Taiwan's defense against a Chinese invasion.
Biden has also reportedly complained about being ill-prepared to address the crises that have eroded his popularity. He is "annoyed that he wasn’t alerted sooner about the baby formula shortage and that he got his first briefing in the past month, even though the crisis had long been in the making," according to NBC News.
The administration's challenges, including record inflation, supply shortages, legislative gridlock, and foreign policy failures, have helped bring the president's approval rating on par with his predecessor, a fact that one source told NBC News has Biden "really twisted."
According to the report, sources speculate that Biden may overhaul the White House staff, though such a shakeup would not be immediate. The most likely White House official to depart, according to NBC News, is Chief of Staff Ron Klain, whom several sources said is slated to leave after the midterms.
The White House pushed back against NBC News's report, telling the outlet Biden is not frustrated with his staff but is pushing "to make a sharper case for all that we have accomplished thus far."