White House chief of staff Jeff Zients has urged people during an all-staff meeting to tune out the “noise” and focus on the task of governing as senior aides scramble to contain the political fallout from President Joe Biden’s disastrous debate performance. Even as Zients acknowledged Wednesday the days since the Atlanta matchup between Biden and Republican Donald Trump have been challenging, he stressed to more than 500 White House aides the accomplishments and the track record of the Democratic administration. A White House official says Zients told the staff governing will only become more crucial once the campaign season heats up. Biden has begun making personal outreach, speaking privately with senior Democratic lawmakers.
