Michael LaRosa served as Special Assistant to President Joe Biden and Chief Spokesperson to First Lady Jill Biden. He advised FLOTUS and POTUS on media relations and strategic communications. Michael was also the first openly-LGBTQ and first commissioned officer to serve Press Secretary to the U.S. First Lady.
He oversaw press strategy for her trips to over 75 cities, 35 states, 15 countries, and 7 continents in her first two years, including; eastern Europe, South and Central America, Africa, Summer Olympics in Tokyo, G7, G20 & NATO Summits. He was the chief advocate for the needs of the press on all domestic and foreign trips and worked with local news outlets from over 130 media markets.
Michael planned/executed the strategy for the First Lady’s secret /historic visit to Ukraine, the highest profile visit from a Biden official at the time. It was the first visit by a U.S. First Lady to an active war zone without the security of a “green zone” protected by U.S. troops. It marked the consequential moment which drew Ukraine's First Lady out of hiding.
Michael was Jill Biden’s Traveling Press Sec for Biden's successful 2020 primary and general election campaigns. He helped choreographed her convention speech and also crafted her virtual media strategy during the lockdown of the historic COVID pandemic, when Team Biden was forced to transition to an unprecedented virtual campaign.
Since leaving the WH, he consulted for Dem candidates and the Facts First USA super pac. He was Managing Director at The Penta Group, a global public affairs firm, providing private sector clients with strategic advice based on seventeen years of experience at the intersection of journalism, government, and politics.
Prior to joining the Biden family in 2019, Michael led HDPCC communications in the office of Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the U.S. Senate Energy Committee under SenatorMaria Cantwell (D-WA). Michael spent 7 years at NBC NEWS as a producer for MSNBC’s Hardball with Chris Matthews, one of the original, highest rated, and longest running political cable talk shows.
Michael frequently appears on CNN, MSNBC, FOX, and SiriusXM providing analysis and often quoted in the NYT, WSJ, WAPO, and Politico. He guest lectured at American University, Bob Dole Institute of Politics at the University of Kansas, and St. Louis's Wash U Olin Business School. He was featured at the National Press Club in a debate moderated by legendary journalist Ann Compton.
Born and raised in Easton, PA, Michael holds degrees in political science from Seton Hall University and a master’s degree in government from American University. He was a high school All-American and Division I NCAA swimmer, competing in two U.S. Opens, four Big East Con. Championships, and breaking several collegiate and high school records. He was Seton Hall University Athletics Student-Athlete Representative to the annual NCAA Leadership Conference and inducted into the Easton Area High School Athlete Hall of Fame.
