WARSAW, POLAND - MARCH 26: The US President, Joe Biden delivers a speech at the Royal Castle on ... [+]
3-27-22: This story was updated with additional analysis.
A good rule of thumb about responding to a crisis is that the bigger the crisis, the stronger you must be in addressing it—and the more careful you should be to ensure you do not do or say anything that can accidentally make matters worse or take the crisis in a different direction.
Although President Joe Biden’s forceful 27-minute speech today in Warsaw, Poland, about Russia’s war against Ukraine had some important plusses, it also had a major minus that the White House immediately scrambled to address.
Upside
Biden challenged Russian President Vladimir Putin to end his war against Ukraine, sought to manage expectations about the crisis and assured Ukraine and the world of America’s commitment to protecting Ukrainians and those who have fled the country or will leave in the days ahead.
Downside
Sometimes leaders create more headlines about a crisis by what they did not intend or plan to say.
That was certainly the case when Biden strayed from his prepared text and added these nine words to the end of his speech: ‘’For God’s sake, this man cannot remain in power.’’
The Washington Post said, “It was a remarkable statement that would reverse stated U.S. policy, directly countering claims from senior administration officials, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who have insisted regime change is not on the table.
“It went further than even U.S. presidents during the Cold War, and immediately reverberated around the world as world leaders, diplomats, and foreign policy experts sought to determine what Biden said, what it meant— and, if he didn’t mean it, why he said it.’’
Damage Control
According to The Hill, soon after the speech, the White House attempted to clarify Biden’s ad-lib. “Following the remarks, a White House official said that comment was referring to Putin exercising power outside of Russia. ‘The president’s point was that Putin cannot be allowed to exercise power over his neighbors or the region. He was not discussing Putin’s power in Russia, or regime change,’ the official said in an email.”
Kremlin’s Reaction
Reuters reported that “Asked about Biden's comment, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Reuters: ‘That's not for Biden to decide. The president of Russia is elected by Russians.’
“Peskov did not immediately respond to a follow-up request for reaction to the White House clarification.”
Potential Impact
Biden’s extemporaneous words could have unintended consequences. They could:
- Stiffen Putin’s resolve to continue his war against Ukraine.
- Help Moscow generate additional propaganda and misinformation.
- Put the Biden administration into an unnecessary defensive position about why the U.S. is helping Ukraine.
- Enable Russia to position the U.S. as an aggressor that is seeking regime change.
- Fuel Putin’s paranoia.
Richard Haass, a veteran diplomat and president of the Council on Foreign Relations, told the Washington Post that ‘’It discourages Putin from any compromise essentially—f you’ve got everything to lose, it frees him up. Why should he show any restraint?” Haass added. “And it confirms his worst fears, which is that this is what the United States seeks: His ouster and systemic change.”
Ammunition For Opponents
The White House’s denial that Biden wants Putin removed could also provide political ammunition to Republicans who have called for Biden to take stronger steps against Russia.
On March 4, NPR reported that “ Sen. Lindsey Graham's suggestion that Russians should assassinate President Vladimir Putin has drawn the ire of Republicans and Democrats concerned over the war in Ukraine.
"Is there a Brutus in Russia? Is there a more successful Colonel Stauffenberg in the Russian military?" the South Carolina Republican asked in a tweet.
Biden Administration’s Policy
On that same day, Reuters reported that “The White House is not advocating for regime change in Russia, President Joe Biden's spokesperson said on Friday after a U.S. senator advocated for Russians to assassinate President Vladimir Putin.
‘"We are not advocating for killing the leader of a foreign country or regime change. That is not the policy of the United States,’ White House spokesperson Jen Psaki told reporters.”
Advice For Business Leaders
- When updating the public or stakeholders about a crisis or your efforts to address it, avoid any temptation to stray from prepared remarks about the situation.
- When that happens, it is important to immediately clarify those comments or to set the record straight. The longer you wait, the more likely it is that whatever was said will become set in stone and become conventional wisdom.
- Use every communication tool at your disposal, including social media, to clarify or explain your unintended remarks.
- Before any speech about a crisis, be sure to practice your delivery of the remarks with others and receive presentation and spokesperson skills training—or a refresher course—to ensure you will stay on message.
