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The D.C. Media Comes for Biden

Joe Biden
Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images
Peter Hamby
September 14, 2021

The people change, the stories are different, society evolves. But in Washington, presidencies still tend to have a rhythm. And with my deepest apologies to Gloria Estefan—the rhythm is always gonna getcha, no matter how hot you started on Inauguration Day. 

For new presidents, there’s some built-in goodwill to start, which may even last through those precious first 100 Days, unless you do a Muslim ban or something. Then the reality of governing starts to set in, and that sweet public affection somehow gets lost in the greasy gears of legislating and an onrush of unforeseen events. The president’s popularity begins to fade—a fresh angle for a press blob that has no interest in nuance or long-term thinking, but simply who is up and who is down, until the storylines reset each Monday.