Latest news with #JoshEarnest
The Guardian
12-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Obama's former press secretary recalls ‘emotional' mood in White House after Trump win
The hardest day on the job for the White House press secretary for most of Barack Obama's second term was right after Donald Trump was first elected president, he recently revealed during a fireside chat at a journalism convention. Speaking at the 2025 National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) conference in Chicago, Josh Earnest said it was grueling for the Obama administration to realize it would have to follow through on promises of a peaceful transfer of power despite spending the 2016 election cycle offering dire warnings 'about what could or would happen if Donald Trump were given the keys to the Oval Office'. Those warnings stemmed in part from intelligence assessments that the US's longtime geopolitical adversary Russia had interfered in the race in which Trump defeated former secretary of state Hillary Clinton. Earnest said the Obama administration suddenly found itself needing to defend the validity of those assessments while saying it would peacefully transfer over the nuclear launch codes – and other levers of power – to Trump. 'Did [Obama] not mean how dangerous [Trump] could be?' Earnest asked rhetorically, referring to some of the questions he and fellow administration officials faced while briefing journalists at the time. 'It was a tough message.' The remarks on Wednesday from Earnest – who was Obama's press secretary from 2014 to 2017 – also offered a first-hand peek into the somber mood at the White House after Trump defeated Clinton. Like many, Earnest 'was very surprised'. 'I did not think he was going to win,' he said. Many Obama communications staffers were visibly demoralized, and Earnest said he and his aides decided to convene them, talk about Trump's victory and try to refocus them for the final two months in office. During that conversation, Obama summoned Earnest to go over the logistics of a nationally televised speech he was planning to give in the White House's Rose Garden. Earnest recalled Obama asking how it was going with the staff that morning – to which he replied that they were 'emotional'. Obama then asked an assistant to call the staff into the Oval Office. He stood in front of the Resolute Desk near his vice-president, Joe Biden, who would later succeed Trump in the White House – and gave them an early version of the speech he ultimately delivered that day. 'We have to remember that we're actually all on one team,' part of that speech read. 'We are Americans first. We're patriots first. We all want what's best for this country.' As Earnest noted, Obama's official White House photographer, Pete Souza, captured the scene with his camera. He recalled how it was the first time many people in the room that day had been in the Oval Office. 'It was very poignant,' Earnest told the chat's host, the ABC7 Chicago news anchor Tanja Babich. One of Earnest's most vocal critics in the aftermath of Trump's victory was the president-elect himself. Trump called Earnest a 'foolish guy' at a December 2016 rally. 'He is so bad – the way he delivers a message,' Trump said of Earnest after the latter defended the US intelligence community's assessment of Russia's interference. Earnest has been a top spokesperson for United Airlines at the company's Chicago headquarters since 2018. He spent some time being a media pundit early during the first of Trump's two presidencies. But Earnest told Babich he did not find it 'particularly fulfilling' given the way Trump's unpredictable, chaotic style of governing can often disorient news outlets. 'The questions could all be boiled down to, 'Isn't this outrageous what Trump is doing?' Earnest said. 'And it became about finding different ways to say, 'Yes.' 'I wasn't doing journalism. I was doing commentary. And it was pretty close to entertainment.'
The Guardian
12-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Obama's former press secretary recalls ‘emotional' mood in White House after Trump win
The hardest day on the job for the White House press secretary for most of Barack Obama's second term was right after Donald Trump was first elected president, he recently revealed during a fireside chat at a journalism convention. Speaking at the 2025 National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) conference in Chicago, Josh Earnest said it was grueling for the Obama administration to realize it would have to follow through on promises of a peaceful transfer of power despite spending the 2016 election cycle offering dire warnings 'about what could or would happen if Donald Trump were given the keys to the Oval Office'. Those warnings stemmed in part from intelligence assessments that the US's longtime geopolitical adversary Russia had interfered in the race in which Trump defeated former secretary of state Hillary Clinton. Earnest said the Obama administration suddenly found itself needing to defend the validity of those assessments while saying it would peacefully transfer over the nuclear launch codes – and other levers of power – to Trump. 'Did [Obama] not mean how dangerous [Trump] could be?' Earnest asked rhetorically, referring to some of the questions he and fellow administration officials faced while briefing journalists at the time. 'It was a tough message.' The remarks on Wednesday from Earnest – who was Obama's press secretary from 2014 to 2017 – also offered a first-hand peek into the somber mood at the White House after Trump defeated Clinton. Like many, Earnest 'was very surprised'. 'I did not think he was going to win,' he said. Many Obama communications staffers were visibly demoralized, and Earnest said he and his aides decided to convene them, talk about Trump's victory and try to refocus them for the final two months in office. During that conversation, Obama summoned Earnest to go over the logistics of a nationally televised speech he was planning to give in the White House's Rose Garden. Earnest recalled Obama asking how it was going with the staff that morning – to which he replied that they were 'emotional'. Obama then asked an assistant to call the staff into the Oval Office. He stood in front of the Resolute Desk near his vice-president, Joe Biden, who would later succeed Trump in the White House – and gave them an early version of the speech he ultimately delivered that day. 'We have to remember that we're actually all on one team,' part of that speech read. 'We are Americans first. We're patriots first. We all want what's best for this country.' As Earnest noted, Obama's official White House photographer, Pete Souza, captured the scene with his camera. He recalled how it was the first time many people in the room that day had been in the Oval Office. 'It was very poignant,' Earnest told the chat's host, the ABC7 Chicago news anchor Tanja Babich. One of Earnest's most vocal critics in the aftermath of Trump's victory was the president-elect himself. Trump called Earnest a 'foolish guy' at a December 2016 rally. 'He is so bad – the way he delivers a message,' Trump said of Earnest after the latter defended the US intelligence community's assessment of Russia's interference. Earnest has been a top spokesperson for United Airlines at the company's Chicago headquarters since 2018. He spent some time being a media pundit early during the first of Trump's two presidencies. But Earnest told Babich he did not find it 'particularly fulfilling' given the way Trump's unpredictable, chaotic style of governing can often disorient news outlets. 'The questions could all be boiled down to, 'Isn't this outrageous what Trump is doing?' Earnest said. 'And it became about finding different ways to say, 'Yes.' 'I wasn't doing journalism. I was doing commentary. And it was pretty close to entertainment.'
Axios
05-06-2025
- Business
- Axios
Communicator spotlight: Josh Earnest of United Airlines
As United Airlines' executive vice president of communications and advertising, Josh Earnest is responsible for sharing how the airline differs from its competitors. Why it matters: Much of the job is spent protecting the brand amid ongoing crises — from COIVD-19 groundings, to the Boeing quality control issues, to the recent air traffic challenges at Newark Liberty International Airport, one of United's hubs. What he's saying: Travelers have to relinquish control to the airline that's getting them from point A to point B, which "makes the association that fliers have with our brand all the more important," Earnest told Axios. Flyers pay attention to how the airlines communicate during a crisis "because they see their own personal stake in it," he said. "When people are sitting on that plane, they are feeling out of control. When you're sitting on an airplane, sometimes you don't even have access to WiFi — although we're doing a lot to try to fix that — and you're arriving whenever we decide to arrive. Hopefully your bags will make it, but we're the ones looking out for them. And you're certainly counting on United to keep you safe." State of play: United operates nearly 70% of the flights at Newark, which means the airline has a huge stake in the recent flight disruptions caused by air traffic control issues. "A lot of the challenges at Newark are totally outside of the control of United Airlines. We're talking about air traffic controllers, state and local regulators at the New York and New Jersey Port Authority, federal regulators at the FAA and the Department of Transportation, and the air traffic controllers union," he said. Yes, but: While things might be outside of United's control, its brand is impacted, and it is "not an option for us to sit on the sidelines," Earnest said. "That's why we have worked both to engage with government regulators, to try to come up with policy solutions that could solve the problem, but also why we've been really out in front in communicating with the public and with our customers about what is being done to make it more reliable." Most recently, United slashed ticket prices for Newark-based flights and partnered with JetBlue to allow for more flight options out of nearby Kennedy International Airport. Catch up quick: Before joining United, Earnest spent more than two decades in politics, most recently serving as White House press secretary for the Obama administration. Zoom in: Earnest sits on the executive team, reporting to United president Brett Hart. He oversees a team of about 140 people who are responsible for the airline's global communications, advertising and community engagement strategies. The team structure "allows us to integrate the creative, paid efforts with our aggressive, proactive earned efforts," he said. "There's no enterprise that can rely on one channel of communication, and it just means that there's a higher premium placed on a well-integrated communication strategy." "We will often use notes to our employees to drive news coverage. If you think about it, it used to be the other way. We would worry that notes we're sending to our employees could get out. And what do we do to try to prevent that? ... Now we like the benefit of the public seeing that we're transparently communicating with our employees about what's happening."
Fast Company
13-05-2025
- Business
- Fast Company
How the United Airlines brand is managing air traffic turbulence
This past weekend, there were more disruptions at Newark Liberty International Airport due to Federal Aviation Administration equipment outages. It has added to the air travel chaos at Newark over the past month, which has included air traffic controllers losing communication with planes for up to 90 seconds, and led to the delay and cancellation of hundreds of flights. On Monday morning, there were at least 59 flight delays and more than 80 cancellations at Newark, according to FlightAware data. Air traffic controllers and the 79,000-member Air Line Pilots Association, are calling on the FAA to update its aging infrastructure to ensure the system is as safe and efficient as possible. At least five Newark air traffic controllers have taken 45 days of trauma leave after the radar and radio communication loss during the busy afternoon of April 28. Caught in the middle of the issues at Newark is United Airlines, which is the most active airline at the New Jersey airport. While the problems lie with the FAA system, the airline is where people often aim their frustrations over cancellations and delays. This presents United with a unique brand challenge. The brand must find solutions and communicate clearly with its customers about a problem that it's ultimately not responsible for, or in control of. United was forced to cancel at least 35 flights per day last week (as of Friday). Josh Earnest, United's executive vice president of communications and advertising, says that while people understand that United Airlines is not responsible for running the air traffic control tower, the brand still has to act. 'People know it's not our equipment or employees managing the airspace, but our brand is so big, and our presence at Newark in particular is so large, that they expect us to do something about it,' Earnest says. Transparency is key For Earnest, the key to navigating a situation like this is for the brand to be as transparent and clear as it possibly can. United has a responsibility to ensure and assure its customers that not only are its flights safe, but that the cancellations are directly related to that safety. 'We don't usually aggressively promote the fact that we had to cancel a bunch of fights,' Earnest says. 'But in this case, we did because people expect us to do something about the problem. And by taking 35 fights out of the schedule [each day], that makes it much more likely that the other 293 fights, or whatever it is, will operate on time. The airport's less crowded, there's less congestion. That's us taking proactive steps to try to solve that problem.' The next step is communicating this to customers. So far, United has been utilizing social media and earned media to do that. The Newark outage story has been getting such a bright media spotlight that the brand has used it to get its own message out. United CEO Scott Kirby appeared on CBS's Face The Nation this past weekend to talk about the issues. And Kirby's original May 2 memo about Newark flight cancellations appeared in The Wall Street Journal just an hour after it was sent. Safety first Canceling flights would initially qualify as kryptonite to any airline brand. But Earnest says that while it may cause some short-term pain, it's an investment in the brand's long-term health. 'The most important issue that people should associate with our brand is safety. The operational environment is messy, but the reason that it's messy is that we're keeping it safe,' he adds. 'So when there's a lack of staffing in the control tower or some other issue, the right thing to do is to slow down the operation at the airport, with more separation between the planes. That's something that we're going to need to continue to reinforce, and we're going to spend our credibility to do it. The good news is that's not a tough decision to make because it's actually our first and highest priority.' The situation in Newark hasn't slowed down United's marketing operation. This week, the airline unveiled and prompted its first flights featuring Starlink Wi-Fi. Earnest says that in times like this, the brand is provided an opportunity to really shine. 'If we handle it well, we will earn credibility with our customers in those moments,' he says. 'As challenging as this is, it is an opportunity for us to actually earn even more of our customers' confidence.'
