How Biden's Challenging Week Concluded Positively
The president transitioned from being engulfed in crisis on Monday to celebrating an unforeseen victory lap on Friday.
TroibNews 
What initially appeared to threaten Joe Biden's legacy and the electoral prospects of his chosen successor concluded with the president seemingly celebrating a metaphorical victory in the briefing room.
The dockworkers' strike that posed a risk to the nation's economy was resolved on Thursday night. Then, Friday morning at 8:30 a.m. sharp, Chief of Staff Jeff Zients informed senior aides in his West Wing office during their daily meeting that the September jobs report exceeded expectations by a remarkable 100,000 jobs.
After grappling with three significant crises throughout the week, the White House was now considering how best for Biden to highlight these achievements. The president had recently shown enthusiasm for addressing the press, so when aides suggested he do so on Friday afternoon, he readily accepted.
“We’ve proven them wrong,” the president proclaimed, entering the room to audible gasps during his 15 minutes at the podium.
Biden was alluding to critics of the pandemic relief measures in the 2021 American Rescue Plan and contextualizing his economic performance. “We’ve gone from an economy in crisis to literally having the strongest economy in the world,” he stated.
The strong economic indicators and the resolution of a potential work stoppage at ports, which could have jeopardized it, provide momentum for Vice President Kamala Harris as she navigates the last weeks of a closely contested presidential campaign. At the same time, Biden's assertive triumph, coming just months after a party revolt led him to abandon his re-election bid, served as a defense of his entire presidency.
“It really is a week where the president's leadership, his experience and his steady hand drove strong results,” Zients remarked in an interview with West Wing Playbook.
This portrayal of how the president and his team managed the week’s various crises derives from discussions with four administration officials who spoke anonymously to share unreported details about a turbulent yet ultimately successful five days within the West Wing.
Due to last week’s hurricane, Biden canceled two scheduled trips—one to Scranton, Pennsylvania, and another to the West Coast—to instead visit states hardest hit by the disaster. While signing disaster declarations on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, Biden received commendations from Republican governors for his administration's quick response.
Simultaneously, while signing those disaster declarations to expedite federal aid, he was closely monitoring the volatile situation in the Middle East and the impending strike by the International Longshoremen’s Association that could shut down Gulf and Atlantic coast ports.
The resolution of the dockworkers’ strike is temporary, allowing them until January 15 to negotiate a new contract. The situation in the Middle East remains tense as Biden's diplomatic efforts with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have not received a response. In key swing states where early voting is already underway, the recovery and cleanup from Hurricane Helene are expected to continue for months. Another strong jobs report or Biden's briefing room appearance is also unlikely to significantly improve negative public sentiment regarding the economy.
However, amidst a White House experiencing a wave of staff departures for campaign positions and marked low morale following Biden's exit from the campaign, these two hard-won victories provided validation for the president and his team.
Last weekend, Biden indicated he would not intervene to resolve a strike, yet he called ILA leader Harold Daggett on Monday night to express his support for the workers, as Zients and National Economic Council Director Lael Brainard urged the U.S. Maritime Alliance to improve their offer.
On Tuesday, Biden and Harris spent several hours in the White House Situation Room, receiving briefings from Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and CENTCOM Commander Gen. Michael Kurilla amid Iranian missile strikes on Israel. Biden intermittently left the room for updates from aides about the dockworkers' strike. Before leaving the Situation Room, he instructed aides to schedule a call with G-7 leaders for Wednesday morning to coordinate a unified response to any escalation in the Middle East conflict.
That evening, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg communicated with local officials in states affected by Hurricane Helene, who raised concerns that the dockworkers' strike could further hinder recovery efforts. When this was shared with the president on Wednesday morning, he became more “worked up,” according to one official in close contact with him.
Later, as Biden arrived at Joint Base Andrews, he took the time to speak with reporters on the tarmac before boarding Air Force One for a tour of the damage from what he called an “incredibly consequential natural disaster” in North Carolina, linking it to the port strike: “We cannot afford a man-made disaster on top of a natural disaster,” he noted.
While Biden was away, Zients, Buttigieg, Brainard, and Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su continued to coordinate efforts to resolve the strike. Subsequently, Zients sought to arrange a Zoom session with six global shipping CEOs—not only U.S.-based executives—for 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.
After aides explained the logistical challenges of the CEOs being in various time zones across Europe and Asia, a new schedule was set for 5:30 a.m. Eastern Time on Thursday. As Zients and others conveyed the potential ramifications of a prolonged strike during the call, the CEOs became more open to the White House's proposal for a temporary agreement, and the parties aimed to resolve the strike by the end of the day.
Biden, updated on the call prior to beginning a second day of assessing storm damage in Florida and Georgia, frequently checked in from the road to inquire about progress. As he departed Georgia and headed back to Washington, Zients informed him that he was “80 percent sure” a written agreement was imminent.
In the end, the agreement was indeed finalized.
Like this content? Consider signing up for PMG’s West Wing Playbook newsletter.
Max Fischer contributed to this report for TROIB News
The dockworkers' strike that posed a risk to the nation's economy was resolved on Thursday night. Then, Friday morning at 8:30 a.m. sharp, Chief of Staff Jeff Zients informed senior aides in his West Wing office during their daily meeting that the September jobs report exceeded expectations by a remarkable 100,000 jobs.
After grappling with three significant crises throughout the week, the White House was now considering how best for Biden to highlight these achievements. The president had recently shown enthusiasm for addressing the press, so when aides suggested he do so on Friday afternoon, he readily accepted.
“We’ve proven them wrong,” the president proclaimed, entering the room to audible gasps during his 15 minutes at the podium.
Biden was alluding to critics of the pandemic relief measures in the 2021 American Rescue Plan and contextualizing his economic performance. “We’ve gone from an economy in crisis to literally having the strongest economy in the world,” he stated.
The strong economic indicators and the resolution of a potential work stoppage at ports, which could have jeopardized it, provide momentum for Vice President Kamala Harris as she navigates the last weeks of a closely contested presidential campaign. At the same time, Biden's assertive triumph, coming just months after a party revolt led him to abandon his re-election bid, served as a defense of his entire presidency.
“It really is a week where the president's leadership, his experience and his steady hand drove strong results,” Zients remarked in an interview with West Wing Playbook.
This portrayal of how the president and his team managed the week’s various crises derives from discussions with four administration officials who spoke anonymously to share unreported details about a turbulent yet ultimately successful five days within the West Wing.
Due to last week’s hurricane, Biden canceled two scheduled trips—one to Scranton, Pennsylvania, and another to the West Coast—to instead visit states hardest hit by the disaster. While signing disaster declarations on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, Biden received commendations from Republican governors for his administration's quick response.
Simultaneously, while signing those disaster declarations to expedite federal aid, he was closely monitoring the volatile situation in the Middle East and the impending strike by the International Longshoremen’s Association that could shut down Gulf and Atlantic coast ports.
The resolution of the dockworkers’ strike is temporary, allowing them until January 15 to negotiate a new contract. The situation in the Middle East remains tense as Biden's diplomatic efforts with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have not received a response. In key swing states where early voting is already underway, the recovery and cleanup from Hurricane Helene are expected to continue for months. Another strong jobs report or Biden's briefing room appearance is also unlikely to significantly improve negative public sentiment regarding the economy.
However, amidst a White House experiencing a wave of staff departures for campaign positions and marked low morale following Biden's exit from the campaign, these two hard-won victories provided validation for the president and his team.
Last weekend, Biden indicated he would not intervene to resolve a strike, yet he called ILA leader Harold Daggett on Monday night to express his support for the workers, as Zients and National Economic Council Director Lael Brainard urged the U.S. Maritime Alliance to improve their offer.
On Tuesday, Biden and Harris spent several hours in the White House Situation Room, receiving briefings from Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and CENTCOM Commander Gen. Michael Kurilla amid Iranian missile strikes on Israel. Biden intermittently left the room for updates from aides about the dockworkers' strike. Before leaving the Situation Room, he instructed aides to schedule a call with G-7 leaders for Wednesday morning to coordinate a unified response to any escalation in the Middle East conflict.
That evening, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg communicated with local officials in states affected by Hurricane Helene, who raised concerns that the dockworkers' strike could further hinder recovery efforts. When this was shared with the president on Wednesday morning, he became more “worked up,” according to one official in close contact with him.
Later, as Biden arrived at Joint Base Andrews, he took the time to speak with reporters on the tarmac before boarding Air Force One for a tour of the damage from what he called an “incredibly consequential natural disaster” in North Carolina, linking it to the port strike: “We cannot afford a man-made disaster on top of a natural disaster,” he noted.
While Biden was away, Zients, Buttigieg, Brainard, and Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su continued to coordinate efforts to resolve the strike. Subsequently, Zients sought to arrange a Zoom session with six global shipping CEOs—not only U.S.-based executives—for 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.
After aides explained the logistical challenges of the CEOs being in various time zones across Europe and Asia, a new schedule was set for 5:30 a.m. Eastern Time on Thursday. As Zients and others conveyed the potential ramifications of a prolonged strike during the call, the CEOs became more open to the White House's proposal for a temporary agreement, and the parties aimed to resolve the strike by the end of the day.
Biden, updated on the call prior to beginning a second day of assessing storm damage in Florida and Georgia, frequently checked in from the road to inquire about progress. As he departed Georgia and headed back to Washington, Zients informed him that he was “80 percent sure” a written agreement was imminent.
In the end, the agreement was indeed finalized.
Like this content? Consider signing up for PMG’s West Wing Playbook newsletter.
Max Fischer contributed to this report for TROIB News
