First lady Jill Biden’s former press secretary blasted the White House communications team's narrative on Thursday, saying they live in an "alternate universe" after a senior official praised President Biden's performance at a NATO press conference.
"There are two different versions of reality in my party right now, Michael LaRosa, who served as first lady Jill Biden's press secretary, wrote on X on Thursday night in response to a post from Republican communicator Sarah Matthews criticizing the White House's Senior Deputy Press Secretary, Andrew Bates.
"The below is an alternate universe that MOST of us Dems are NOT actually living in. Being coherent in his FIRST ‘big boy press conference’ of 2024 is not exactly the bar most of us are looking for.... but clearly it's the bar for Biden set by his own staff ... and that is pretty ‘f---ing’ terrifying."
Matthews had criticized Bates for a post on X he made following Biden’s highly anticipated NATO press conference on Thursday night where the senior staffer said, "To answer the question on everyone’s minds: No, Joe Biden does not have a doctorate in foreign affairs. He’s just that f---ing good."
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"1) Literally no one is asking that question right now," Matthews wrote on X. "2) It’s beneath the office to say "f---ing" from your official White House account. Do better."
"Everyone evaluated POTUS's performance based on how they wanted to feel or how they already felt about the situation," LaRosa told Fox News Digital.
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"Andrew's exuberance, which is what Sarah was responding to, is an example of the division within the Democratic Party right now, unfortunately. But that's Andrew's job -- and he's very good at it. His whole purpose is to drink the kool-aid surrounding the boss and make sure everyone else is gulping down too. If I were Biden or any other lawmaker or candidate, there's no one I'd rather have watching my back than Andrew Bates."
"But for those of us in the party and outside the White House now, it's our responsibility to decipher the rhetoric from the reality. The reality is, and I said this to Jesse Watters before the debate, that no one has ever questioned or doubted Joe Biden's command of complex and nuanced domestic or foreign policy," Larosa continued. "He can run circles around the media, his opponents, or members of Congress on substance or his record. That's not what the noise or conversation is about. The bar the President hasn't been able to clear and the reason why Democrats in Congress are anxious is because they feel he hasn't met or cleared the bar for matters of presentation, agility, and sharpness."
LaRosa said he fears "that sometimes people around him unintentionally lower the bar for the President."
"He's a former Chair of Senate Foreign relations, a former Vice President, and current President who has met with leaders all over the globe," LaRosa said. "He's been negotiating with the Russians since he was in his mid-thirties. We're not giving him enough credit when we create standards that are frankly beneath him. It's a distraction from the reality of the challenge in front of us, as Democrats, and in moments of political crisis, there need to be folks on the outside who can put the kool-aid aside for a bit and drink some water."
The X post from Bates also sparked strong criticism from conservatives on social media.
"Dude he confused Harris and Trump right after he mixed up Zelensky and Putin," Abigail Jackson, Communications Director for GOP Sen. Josh Hawley, posted on X referencing a Biden gaffe shortly before the press conference.
"Literally no one is asking that question right now," conservative communicator Steve Guest posted on X.
"The question on my mind is what’s wrong with these people," journalist Josh Barro posted on X.
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment.
Biden, who is facing increased calls from elected officials within his own party to drop out of the race due to concerns about his age, was widely criticized by Republicans over his NATO press conference performance. However, longtime GOP strategist Mike Biundo, a former Trump adviser, told Fox News Digital that he believed "it's a 100% win-win" for Republicans and the Trump campaign.
"It appears Biden did enough to convince his apologists that he should remain on the ballot, but he also reinforced what the American people know. Their lives are being hurt by his weakness and failure on a daily basis," a Trump campaign official, who asked for anonymity to speak more freely, told Fox News Digital after Thursday night's press conference.
Several Democrats and progressives defended Biden's performance along with Bates.
"Tonight Joe Biden offered a lengthy, detailed dive on the major national security issues he’s juggling combined with a comfortable but forceful defense of his view of where this race stands," Kate Bedingfield, a former communications director for Biden, posted on X. "50 minutes of Qs. He needed to show up big tonight and he did."
"This is a very strong performance," Joel Rubin, a former State Department official during the Obama administration, posted on X. "Quite frankly. @POTUS is putting on a master class in how foreign policy and domestic policy intersect, explaining how crucial American global leadership is to our people here at home. Well done, Mr. President."
Fox News Digital's Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
