White House rapid response director to transition to Treasury Department role

White House Rapid Response Director Mike Gwin is leaving his post to join the Treasury Department as deputy assistant secretary for public affairs, Fox News confirmed Thursday.

Gwin is set to depart the White House later this month.

As director of rapid response for Biden’s White House, Gwin had been a member of the economic communications team and served as the primary spokesperson for the bipartisan Innovation Act, and played a critical role in communications efforts to confirm President Biden’s nominees for the Federal Reserve.

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Gwin also worked to support the National Security Council on political coverage and around major issues like the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and has handled communications around other issues across the White House including gun violence, crime, law enforcement and the congressional investigation into the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre listens as National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, not pictured, speaks to reporters in the Brady Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on May 18, 2022.
(STEFANI REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Thursday that Gwin has been “an indispensable member of our team.” 

“His quiet talent, laser-focused approach, and eagerness to take on whatever challenge comes his way has made him a tremendous asset,” Jean-Pierre said. “I know he’s moving on to bigger and better things, and only wish him the best at Treasury.”

Gwin spent the majority of his time at the White House working under former press secretary Jen Psaki, who said Thursday that she has “no doubt most of us will be working for Mike one day.”

“His ability to not only understand but to translate complicated issues from economic policy to gun policy was invaluable when I was the press secretary,” Psaki said, adding that his “level head on challenging days was also a great model for everyone on the team.”

Psaki left the White House last month and recently took a role with MSNBC.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki smiles as she enters one of her final briefings, before stepping down from her role.
(AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

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White House communications director Kate Bedingfield also praised Gwin as “a backbone of our team for years having worked tirelessly through the campaign, transition, and White House to communicate the President’s priorities with unflappable dedication and composure.”

“His strategic insights have been critical, and it’s hard to imagine this team without him,” Bedingfield said. “We’ll miss his quick wit and unbeatable work ethic, but we know he will be great in his next step.”

Prior to the White House, Gwin served as deputy director of rapid response for the Biden campaign, beginning in September 2019, and served as a national spokesperson through the 2020 Democratic primary and the general election.

Gwin also served as the primary spokesperson for the Biden campaign in handling post-election legal challenges.

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Gwin has spent a decade in politics, starting as a field organizer in Iowa for former President Obama’s re-election campaign in 2012, before working for a number of other candidates, including for President, Governor, and Senate, as well as the DCCC.

Gwin also worked in the final year of the Obama Administration at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. He’s a graduate of Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service.