Speculation Swirls After Jill Biden's Press Sec. Heads for Exits Two Weeks After 'Taco' Debacle

We’ve previously reported on the numerous election-year shake-ups that have occurred in both Joe Biden’s and Kamala Harris’ respective comms offices, with Biden losing his senior-most comms person Kate Bedingfield earlier this month, and Harris losing her new speechwriter after less than four months on the job and in the midst of an ongoing wave of other comms staff exits from her team.

While it’s believed that those departures have stemmed largely from Biden’s continued inability to get through a speech or other similar type of public speaking engagement without either bumbling or going wildly off script, and Harris’ continued penchant for wacky word salads, speculation is swirling as to the rationale behind the latest resignation – this one from First Lady Jill Biden’s office:

[Michael] LaRosa began serving as Biden’s spokesperson in 2019 during the presidential campaign and was appointed press secretary in January 2021. In September, he was given the additional title of special assistant to the President.

“For nearly three years, from the campaign to the White House, Michael has brought an encyclopedic knowledge of politics and media to my team as my spokesperson and adviser,” the first lady told CNN. “On a small team, loyalty and friendship are lifelong — we will miss Michael. However, we are excited for him to begin a new chapter in his career.”

LaRosa’s resignation has been known inside the East Wing for the last several weeks, according to the official, who noted the desire for LaRosa to assist with three high-profile foreign trips for the first lady as a reason for extending the timeline of his departure.

In a thread posted on Twitter, LaRosa declared that “The @FLOTUS team has become and will remain my family and I am thankful for their constant mentoring, support, and friendship.”

LaRosa stepping down comes as Jill Biden’s approval ratings have hit new lows and just two weeks after the now-infamous “taco” debacle where she compared San Antonio Hispanics to a breakfast food during a Texas speech where the topic of the day was “Latinx IncluXion.”

“Raul helped build this organization with the understanding that the diversity of this community — as distinct as the bogidas (sic) of the Bronx, as beautiful as the blossoms of Miami, and as unique as the breakfast tacos here in San Antonio — is your strength,” she stated at the time.

Mrs. Biden received a significant amount of backlash over the remarks, most notably from Hispanic groups and conservative Hispanic Republicans like Sens. Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, as well as newly-elected Rep. Mayra Flores.

She was also criticized for having LaRosa issue an apology over what she said instead of speaking to the Hispanic community directly herself.

Some have even suggested that it was LaRosa who wrote the infamous “breakfast taco” line in a speech that was reportedly “signed off on by the White House offices of intergovernmental affairs, legislative affairs and public liaison”: