After a disastrous presidential debate performance, a primetime interview and an hour-long NATO press conference, the question of President Joe Biden’s suitability to remain a candidate for another term remains an open question.
Neither presidential candidate (Biden or former President Donald Trump) distinguished themselves and one, President Biden, had a “bad night”—as he described it a few days later. A nationwide poll, taken after the debate, reported that two in three adults thought Biden should step aside. (Washington Post; ABC Ipsos, 7/11/24)
However, the purpose of this piece is not to take sides or recommend what the President should do. Let's leave that to the pundits on cable TV and on Capitol Hill.
Instead, let’s turn our attention to the communications challenges inherent in this leadership crisis and consider what might have been done sooner and better.
A Media Frenzy and PR Push
As the story has unfolded, the media provided extensive coverage on the role Biden’s staff and advisers have played in managing his schedule and public appearances to minimize stress and reduce visibility of any age-related limitations (see The Washington Post on July 6 and The Wall Street Journal on July 8).
These stories, and others, report that the President’s team has closely managed his workload and travel; deployed teleprompters in all his public and private speaking opportunities; and limited Biden’s unscripted interactions with the media, donors and voters.
With the benefit of hindsight, it seems likely that this exaggerated the shock many felt while watching the debate. Since then, the Biden campaign’s efforts to overcome these perceptions have had mixed results. The one-on-one “live” network interview with ABC News and the prime time NATO news conference did little to tamp down the media's dissent. The Washington Post described the press conference as a “mixed performance” and other outlets followed suit. Reportedly, an active stint of campaigning and more high-profile interviews are in the works to alleviate voters’ concerns. However, absent more transparency, this will only yield similar results since they are from the same playbook. The time to address the President’s health was before the debate, not after.
A Faulty Preparation and Muddled Response Strategy
Looking back, two things seem clear:
First, allowing multiple days to pass after the debate before President Biden reemerged was a mistake. In the interim, sniping at critics off the record, calling them “bedwetters,” and mentioning “jet lag” and a “bad cold” did not work.
As we know, in a leadership crisis, timely and authentic communication—not diversionary tactics—is critical. In these situations, someone has to take on the role of sharing the bad news with leaders. Tim Ryan, a former Democratic Congressman from Ohio, said it well in an op-ed for Newsweek: “Sometimes being loyal is about being honest.”
Second, before the debate, more disclosure/discussion about the President’s age and vitality could have softened the blow and managed expectations. Instead, the public received a steady stream of updates about his readiness and in-depth preparation at Camp David. All this did was raise hopes for a strong performance and a meaningful exchange of ideas and positions, which was not what viewers saw.
How to Manage a Leadership Crisis
While you may never be tasked with advising the President, below are a few ideas for communicators needing to manage a leadership crisis:
- Prepare a confidential and credible assessment of the situation and find the right time and place to share it with your leader(s).
- Once the issue is acknowledged—or least on the table—prepare standby statements and FAQs to use when speaking about the situation.
- Line up medical or legal experts (as appropriate) to serve as third parties, brief them on the situation, and set ground rules for disclosure/interviews as needed.
- Consider an exclusive story with a trusted media outlet—or prepare your own content—and roll it out in a strategic, timely fashion before the situation takes over. In such situations time is not on your side, especially for a major event in the near future.
How this will all turn out is anyone’s guess. Meanwhile, this “live action case study” has a lot to teach PR pros about leadership communications and crisis management—especially after this weekend’s chaotic events in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Lawrence J. Parnell is an associate professor and recently retired Program Director of George Washington University's Master's in Strategic Public Relations.