Biden brings back Fdr-like ‘fireside chat’ series

Joe biden is reviving the weekly presidential address, a tradition going back to Franklin roosevelt, as he seeks to present himself as an open and approachable president.

The format is rather different, however, reflecting the change in technology.

In his first address posted on White House social media accounts on Saturday, biden is seen seated at his desk in the Oval Office. He rings a woman called Michelle from California, who wrote to him after she lost her job because of the pandemic.

The curated informality of the21/2-minute chat is a break from previous versions of the weekly address, in which presidents used pre-written speeches to put over the administration’s message.

In the first instalment of what has been described as “a weekly conversation,” biden pressed the case for his us$1.9-trillion coronavirus relief package.

How Michelle was chosen was not disclosed by the White House, which said biden’s addresses will take a variety of forms.

His approach to communicating with voters will contrast with that of his predecessor, who used Twitter relentlessly as a platform to unload against political opponents, before he was banned in the wake of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.

There are parallels with the original Fdr fireside chats — in which the president addressed the nation during national crises such as the Great depression — and today’s pandemic.

The broadcasts died away after Fdr but were revived by ronald reagan. George W. bush was the first to deliver the addresses in both english and Spanish, while barack Obama was the first to post videos on the internet.

The tradition was initially continued by donald Trump but then abandoned within two years of his taking office.