In a rare moment of frank criticism from within the Biden orbit, former top White House staffer Michael LaRosa has openly questioned the strategy guiding Joe and Jill Biden’s public presence, warning that it may be doing long-term damage to the Biden legacy. Speaking candidly on Fox News Sunday, LaRosa—who served as press secretary to First Lady Jill Biden—didn’t hold back, describing the current approach as a misguided and reactive campaign driven more by fear than by clarity.
LaRosa’s central concern is blunt: the Bidens are mishandling the optics of Joe Biden’s post-presidency, and in doing so, they are allowing public perception to calcify around moments of confusion, frailty, and political misjudgment.
“They’re right to fear that the history is being written right now about their legacy,” LaRosa said. “If he loses to Donald Trump, much of his legacy will be erased because it was a really big gamble to take to run again.”
That gamble, of course, was Biden’s decision to seek a second term, despite internal concerns about his cognitive decline—concerns that LaRosa says were not only ignored, but actively “gaslighted” away by top staffers who feared unscripted moments. The result: a tightly controlled, media-sheltered president who could no longer compete in today’s unrelenting, high-speed political arena.
LaRosa described the Bidens as being caught in a “fight or flight” mindset. Rather than defining Biden’s legacy after his 2024 withdrawal, they’ve waited too long, and are now scrambling to salvage what’s left of their narrative.
“My question to them is, why are you starting now?” he asked. “I would have been starting 10 months ago to define his legacy as soon as he dropped out of the race.”
The timing of LaRosa’s comments is notable. Biden’s recent appearances on the BBC and The View were meant to reassure the public of his cognitive health and reflect on his accomplishments. Instead, they seemed to amplify concerns, highlighting the contrast between the scripted optimism of his messaging and the growing revelations from insiders and journalists.
LaRosa’s remarks dovetail with damning claims from the upcoming book Original Sin by Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson. The authors reveal that Biden’s inner circle was well aware of his declining condition, including discussions about whether he might need a wheelchair in a second term and admissions that he frequently forgot names of key aides. Even cabinet secretaries, the book claims, were shielded from the president in order to maintain the illusion of command.
That illusion, according to LaRosa, has now shattered—and Jill Biden’s prominent role in orchestrating and defending that illusion may leave a lasting mark on both her reputation and her husband’s.
While LaRosa was careful to reiterate his affection for the Bidens, he issued a pointed warning: the public is no longer buying the narrative the team is trying to sell. Continued insistence on high-profile appearances, especially those perceived as overly defensive or rehearsed, may only further erode public trust and give fuel to critics who argue that the Biden presidency was built on concealment and overreach.
“They’ve got to start adjusting the people that they’re listening to because none of it has gotten them anywhere good so far,” LaRosa concluded.
