Advisors to President Joe Biden announced on Friday that Ben LaBolt will be taking on the role of the White House Communications Director. LaBolt will be succeeding Kate Bedingfield, who is expected to leave her post at the end of February to work on Biden’s reelection campaign. This move follows the recent departures of Chief of Staff Ron Klain and top economic advisor Brian Deese from the White House.
LaBolt has been working for the President since the Obama administration, serving as the lead communications strategist for important matters such as the nomination and confirmation of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the American Rescue Plan, and the Inflation Reduction Act. Before his current position, LaBolt was the senior national spokesperson for Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign and White House national press secretary in 2012.
This news comes shortly after Karine Jean-Pierre made history in May 2022 with her appointment as the first Black and the first openly LGBTQ White House press secretary. LaBolt’s appointment to the role of White House Communications Director marks a historic moment for the LGBTQ community and the Biden administration.
