White House responds to intraparty criticism about Biden’s final days in Oval Office: ‘Leading by example’

The White House is firing back and defending President Biden and his administration from intra-party criticism that he has not done enough to combat President-elect Donald Trump and help lay a solid foundation for the Democratic Party’s future once he leaves the Oval Office. 

White House spokesperson Andrew Bates told Fox News Digital that Biden “is making every day of his term count,” pointing to his work to boost domestic manufacturing, fight climate change, lower drug costs, protect communities from gun violence, improve infrastructure and get judicial nominees confirmed.

“He is leading by example for the sake of American democracy, honoring his campaign promise to respect the will of the voters and provide an orderly transition,” Bates added.

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President Biden walks to the Oval Office before pardoning the National Thanksgiving turkeys, Blossom and Peach, during a ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House on Nov. 25, 2024 in Washington, D.C. (Andrew Harnik)

The complaints against Biden from within his own party have ranged from disappointment over a lack of push back on Trump’s various nominees to disappointment over the president’s failure to implement additional protections for undocumented migrants amid concern Trump will deport them. 

“This is one of the lamest of lame ducks we’ve seen with a Democratic administration,” said Usamah Andrabi, spokesman for the progressive group Justice Democrats. 

“There is no leadership coming from the White House,” a Democrat close to senior lawmakers also said. “There is a total vacuum.” 

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Another criticism Biden has faced during his lame-duck presidency has suggested a lack of press conferences and interaction with the media. During nearly two weeks worth of time abroad since the election, during which members of the press traveled side-by-side with Biden, the outgoing president spoke just seven words to them, according to Politico.

President Biden, right, pardons the National Thanksgiving Turkey Peach, alongside chair National Turkey Federation Chairman John Zimmerman and his son Grant during a ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House on Nov. 25, 2024 in Washington, D.C. (Andrew Harnik)

Bates also contested such criticisms that Biden has not engaged with the press. 

“He has held multiple gaggles with reporters since the election, during which he has criticized President-elect Trump’s agenda – including across-the-board tariffs that will force American families to pay higher prices for everyday necessities,” Bates said. “He is also actively engaging with a wide range of leaders about the future of the Democratic Party.”

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President Biden delivers remarks on the latest developments in Syria from the Roosevelt Room of the White House on Dec. 8, 2024 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Pete Marovich)

While the criticism against Biden has been sharp, some Democratic lawmakers have come to Biden’s defense. 

Democrat Delaware Sen. Chris Coons, a Biden ally, added he thinks that Biden has left his party and the American public with “a lot for us to learn from going forward.”

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“There’s sort of a tradition of former presidents not getting too involved in it, and he’s transitioning into that,” added Rep. Glenn Ivey, D-Md. “So I think he has to be careful.”