Former Jill Biden Press Secretary Michael LaRosa Reveals What Really Went Wrong in 2024

Ben, Beleh, and Dylan sit down with Michael LaRosa, former press secretary for First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, for an unfiltered conversation about the Biden White House, the campaign’s media failures, and what went wrong in 2024.Michael kicks things off by sharing his experience working with Jill Biden and how he navigated the campaign’s inner circle despite being an outsider with deep media connections (00:39). He reveals how Biden’s team actively avoided press engagement and how Dr. Biden pushed for Joe to be more visible while campaign staff wanted to “run out the clock” (07:10).Later, the conversation turns to the critical mistakes that doomed Biden’s reelection bid—why the team refused to adjust strategy even as his numbers plummeted, their bunker mentality, and how failing to engage with the media let GOP narratives take over (12:52). Michael explains how internal White House arrogance prevented them from seeing the warning signs and why their response to Biden’s disastrous debate performance was worse than the debate itself (34:26).Wrapping up, Michael discusses the future of Democratic strategy, the lessons they should have learned from Trump, and why scripted, robotic candidates are no longer viable in today’s media landscape (23:06). Plus, he reflects on the Biden family’s deep distrust of the press, stemming from the 1987 plagiarism scandal, and how that shaped their approach to the 2024 race (42:38).Follow Michael LaRosa @MichaelLaRosaDC, Beleh ⁠⁠@Btoma15⁠⁠, Ben ⁠⁠@BenBartlettt⁠⁠⁠,⁠ and Brogressive Podcast ⁠⁠@BrogressivePod⁠⁠ on Twitter/X.