President-elect Joe Biden announced Sunday that his administration will have an all-female senior White House communications team, the Washington Post reports. "I am proud to announce today the first senior White House communications team comprised entirely of women," Biden said in his statement. "These qualified, experienced communicators bring diverse perspectives to their work and a shared commitment to building this country back better."
The announcement revisited a promise made by Biden during his election victory speech, where he envisioned an administration just as diverse as the United States. "I said at the outset, I wanted to represent -- this campaign to represent and look like America," he said. "We've done that. Now that's what I want the administration to look like and act like."
Aside from being the first all-female White House communications team, four of the seven will be people of color. A majority of these hires previously held positions in the Obama administration.
Kate Bedingfield will be White House communications director, while Pili Tobar will serve as deputy White House communications director. Karine Jean-Pierre will serve as principal deputy press secretary, and Symone Sanders will serve as a senior adviser and chief spokesperson for the vice president.
The landmark White House communications staff decision comes days after he nominated the first woman ever for Treasury secretary in Janet Yellen, and first Latino in Alejandro Mayorkas for secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.
In somewhat related news, Biden's physician, Dr. Kevin O'Connor, released a statement Sunday night regarding the health of the President-elect after he needed to get his foot examined after slipping and twisting his ankle while playing with his dog Major over the weekend. Biden will have to wear a walking boot for "several weeks."
"Follow-up CT scan confirmed hairline (small) fractures of President-elect Biden's lateral and intermediate cuneiform bones, which are in the mid-foot," Dr. O'Connor said. "It is anticipated that he will likely require a walking boot for several weeks."
