From a Wall Street Journal story by Ken Thomas and Andrew Restuccia headlined “Kate Bedingfield Will Stay as White House Communications Director, Reversing Decision to Step Down”:
Kate Bedingfield, a longtime aide to President Biden, has decided to stay on as White House communications director, reversing her previous decision to step down.
“After much thought, discussion and reflection, I’ve decided to stay,” Ms. Bedingfield wrote to White House staff on Friday in an email obtained by The Wall Street Journal. “I’m not done here and there is so much more good work to do with all of you.”
Ms. Bedingfield announced earlier this month that she would step down this summer.
But in recent days, after she was asked to stay an extra week following Mr. Biden’s diagnosis with Covid-19, she began having second thoughts about leaving the White House and decided she wanted to continue in her role, according to a person familiar with the matter. Mr. Biden and White House chief of staff Ron Klain encouraged her to stay on, the person said.
The decision comes as the White House is facing a series of challenges ahead of November’s midterm elections, including low approval ratings for the president, high inflation and concerns about a possible recession. Ms. Bedingfield has advised Mr. Biden since his time as vice president under former President Barack Obama.
She became Mr. Biden’s communications director in 2015 in the vice president’s office and later served in a senior role on his 2020 presidential campaign, where she advised him ahead of campaign debates, televised town hall events and key speeches. She has played a similar role as White House communications director, helping to guide his messaging during his time in office.
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