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Editor’s note: Running until the final general election results come in, the Deadline ElectionLine podcast spotlights the 2024 campaign and the blurred lines between politics and entertainment in modern America. Hosted by Washington bureau chief Ted Johnson and senior editor Dominic Patten, the podcast features commentary and interviews with top lawmakers and entertainment figures. At the same time, you can follow all the news in Biden & Trump rematch and more on the ElectionLine hub on Deadline.
“It’s not as simple anymore as sending the president out to stand behind the podium, letting the news media cover it and calling it a day,” former White House Communications Director Kate Bedingfield says on today’s Deadline ElectionLine podcast about the of the 21st century press paradigm that even the most powerful person in the world battles. “That worked in 1992, that doesn’t work in 2024,” she adds.
Every president since George Washington has fought to get their message out, and every president has complained about how selective, to put it politely, the media can be when it comes to what is consequential and what is trivial. In an America bursting with information and disinformation outlets that communication between the Commander-in-Chief and the country’s citizens may be fighting more noise than ever before.
That reality renders traditional forums and even potential game changers like Super Tuesday primaries a dull version of what they used to be – this election year more than ever.
A year out of the White House, ex-MPA spokesperson Bedingfield is now a CNN contributor. Yet, even now, on the other side of the rope line, Bedingfield, as she told the ElectionLine podcast this week, is still aware of how hard it is to break through in campaign season. “That’s why the team has to be more creative,” Bedingfield says. “And that’s why you see them doing late-night TV. They just did Seth Meyers this week. That’s why you see them doing a lot of digital first content.”
RELATED: Seth Meyers Dissects Joe Biden’s Ice Cream Moment
Well, we like that digital first approach here at Deadline and ElectionLine. Plus, Bedingfield talks about being in POTUS’ inner circle, the power of local news and new ideas, battling Donald Trump, the politics of the border and crime and, of course, her favorite fictional president.
Also on the podcast today, we talk primaries and late-night TV — at this point, do either of them really matter this year?
For both Democrats and Republicans, this year’s Super Tuesday on March 5 will be far different from recent cycles in that suspense will be in short supply.
Even with 20 states casting their primary ballots next week, already assured nominees Trump and Biden now poised for 2020 redux. Which means network coverage has come to focus on other issues, like whether votes for Nikki Haley are a sign of trouble for the past president and whether “undeclared” votes spell turbulence for the incumbent.. After Super Tuesday comes a long slog to the conventions and general election — and a challenge to keep voters and viewers engaged.
Speaking of viewership engagement: President Biden’s appearance on the 10th-anniversary show of Late Night with Seth Meyers was an attempt by the White House to reach audiences via comedy. But the viral moment from the president’s guest spot actually was after the taping of the late-nighter, when he and Meyers went to an ice cream parlor. With Meyers nearby and a cone in hand, Biden made news by signaling that a ceasefire may be imminent in the Israel-Hamas war. It’s proof that, when it comes to drawing attention, the unexpected moments almost always win out.
And stay engaged with us: Subscribe to the Deadline ElectionLine podcast on Spotify, Apple Music and all podcast platforms
