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The Biden Bubble

Ron Klain and Joe Biden
Chief of staff Ron Klain and President Biden. Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images
Tara Palmeri
June 16, 2022

Earlier this month, Adam Schiff, the Democratic congressman and January 6 Commission supporting actor, offered some candid criticism of his big boss, Joe Biden. Schiff was attending a D.C.C.C. fundraiser in Charleston, hosted by Donna and Randy Friedman and Ned Brown, during another leg of his nation-wide tour that Punchbowl described as an attempt to raise his profile in advance of a potential Democratic caucus leadership bid, should Nancy Pelosi step down. At that fundraiser, according to an attendee paraphrasing his remarks, Schiff articulated that, as awful as Donald Trump was, Biden wouldn’t be wrong to emulate his capacity for self-promotion. “I wish he would do that, maybe he’s just genetically predisposed not to,” one attendee told me, again paraphrasing Schiff. “And he’s got a lot to brag about, but he won’t do it.” 

Schiff doubled down on the remark, explaining that he’s given a number of people at the White House this advice, including intrepid chief of staff Ron Klain. He explained that he wished that Biden would be offering proclamations about his administration’s achievements every day.