TJ Ducklo

Tyler Joseph "TJ" Ducklo[1] (born September 22, 1988[2][3]) is an American political adviser serving as senior advisor on the Joe Biden 2024 presidential campaign. He previously served as a special assistant to the president and White House junior deputy press secretary for the Biden administration from January 2021 until February 13, 2021, when he resigned after threats he made to a reporter came to light.[4] Ducklo previously worked as the national press secretary for the Joe Biden 2020 presidential campaign.[5]

TJ Ducklo
White House Deputy Press Secretary
In office
January 20, 2021 – February 13, 2021
PresidentJoe Biden
Preceded byJudd Deere
Succeeded byChris Meagher
Personal details
Born (1988-09-22) September 22, 1988
Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Domestic partnerAlexi McCammond
EducationGeorge Washington University (BA)

Early life and education

Ducklo was born in Nashville, Tennessee, and is the son of prominent Nashville optometrist Dr. Tommy Ducklo.[6]

He earned a bachelor of arts degree in political communication from George Washington University School of Media and Public Affairs in 2011.[7]

Career

Ducklo previously worked as a staff assistant for James Carville and Mary Matalin.[7] He volunteered for Karl Dean's 2007 Nashville mayoral campaign and interned in the United States Senate in 2008.[7] Ducklo also worked on Washington, D.C.'s bid to host the 2024 Summer Olympics[7] and has held senior media relations posts at Bloomberg News, Viacom, and the Motion Picture Association of America.[8] In addition, Ducklo was a public relations advisor for Showtime's 2016 documentary The Circus.[8]

Ducklo joined the Biden campaign in April 2019, his first major role on a political campaign.[7] Before joining the Biden campaign, Ducklo worked as senior communications director for NBC News.[8]

Deputy Press Secretary

On January 15, 2021, it was announced that Ducklo would serve as a White House deputy press secretary in the Biden Administration.[9]

In February 2021, People reported that Ducklo was in a romantic relationship with Alexi McCammond, who covered the Biden campaign and administration for NBC and MSNBC as a contributor and as a reporter for Axios in 2019 and 2020. As a result, McCammond was reassigned to covering Vice President Kamala Harris and progressive lawmakers in Congress.[10]

After the profile was released, Vanity Fair reported that Ducklo threatened Politico reporter Tara Palmeri, telling her he would "destroy her" if she published a story about his relationship with McCammond. He had also reportedly made "derogatory and misogynistic comments" toward Palmeri during a phone call and accused her of being "jealous" of his relationship with McCammond.[11] On February 12, Ducklo was suspended without pay for one week and apologized.[12] He resigned from his White House position the next day.[13]

Public relations

In June 2021, Ducklo joined Risa Heller Communications, boutique public relations firm in New York, as a senior vice president.[14]

Nashville politics

In April 2022, Ducklo became chief communications officer and a senior adviser to John Cooper, the mayor of Nashville, Tennessee. Ducklo oversaw, "the administration's communications team and advised Cooper on political and strategic decisions," The Tennessean reported. In June 2023, Ducklo left the Mayor's office to become a senior advisor on President Biden's re-election campaign.

Personal life

In December 2019, Ducklo announced on Twitter that he had been diagnosed with stage-four lung cancer.[15] As of February 2021, Ducklo continued to receive treatment.[10]

References
  1. "Methodology". Pew Research Center. November 14, 2011. Retrieved February 24, 2021. The students who participate in the data collection were: Colby Anderson, Molly Anixt, Jennifer Avallon, Christopher Borchert, Andrew Clark, Jamarie Copestick, Tyler J Ducklo...
  2. "BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: TJ Ducklo, national press secretary for Joe Biden's campaign". Politico. September 22, 2020. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  3. "Joe Biden's Press Secretary Diagnosed with Cancer". CBS News. December 21, 2019.
  4. Ted Johnson (February 13, 2021). "White House Deputy Press Secretary Resigns After Report He Threatened Politico Journalist". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
  5. Singman, Brooke (April 22, 2020). "Meet the Press Secretary: Top Biden aide faces dual 2020 battles, says campaign 'has given me purpose'". Fox News. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  6. helixadmin. "Meet our Staff". Ducklo Eyecare. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
  7. Cleary, Tom (August 8, 2020). "TJ Ducklo, Joe Biden's Press Secretary: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". Heavy. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  8. Dorman, Sam (April 26, 2019). "Biden's new press secretary served as NBC News communications director". Fox News. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  9. Brian Stelter (January 15, 2021). "Biden builds out communications staff with chief photographer and deputy press secretary". CNN. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  10. Carlson, Adam (February 8, 2021). "Reporter Forgoes Covering President as Romance Blossoms with Biden Aide Battling Cancer: 'Didn't Think Twice'". People (magazine). Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  11. Caleb Ecarma (February 12, 2021). ""I Will Destroy You": Biden Aide Threatened a Politico Reporter Pursuing a Story on His Relationship". Vanity Fair. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  12. Brian Schwartz (February 12, 2021). "Biden spokesman suspended for a week after reportedly threatening reporter". CNBC. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  13. "White House aide resigns after suspension for sexist comments to reporter". The Independent. February 12, 2021. Archived from the original on May 26, 2022. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
  14. "TJ Ducklo". Risa Heller Communications. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  15. "Joe Biden's press secretary diagnosed with cancer". CBS News. December 21, 2019. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
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