Gibbs: Obama keeping Blackberry

The White House said Thursday that President Obama is keeping his handheld Blackberry device, but it will be fitted with “enhanced security” and only a handful of senior advisers and close friends will have the email address.

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs, in his first briefing, said that Obama’s emails to and from the device will be subject to the Presidential Records Act except in instances where they meet the criteria of exemptions.

{mosads}Gibbs said those who have access to the president’s email address will be briefed.

Gibbs appeared to be adjusting to his new role Thursday as he fielded a wide array of questions from a packed briefing room on issues ranging from Obama’s decision to close down the Guantanamo Bay detention facility to the reason he retook his oath of office to how the First Family is settling into their life in the White House.

“I know that at the end of the first night, he had to ask somebody where he was supposed to go next,” Gibbs joked.

“It’s a pretty big house,” Gibbs said.

Gibbs said that the president’s daughters have kept their routine despite their move to the world’s most famous address, and he called that “a testament” to First Lady Michelle Obama.

Gibbs also said that Obama “enjoys… living above the company store.”

“I know yesterday he, between two events, went upstairs to have dinner with them,” Gibbs said. “And I think that obviously means a lot to him as a father.”

In his first announcement from the briefing room podium, Gibbs said Obama has asked for a daily economic briefing to be delivered to him in the Oval Office — similar to the president’s daily intelligence briefing.

Thursday’s economic briefing was led by the president’s National Economic Council chairman Larry Summers and attended by White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, OMB director Peter Orzag, Domestic Policy Director Melody Barnes and Jared Bernstein, Vice President Biden’s chief economic adviser.

“They walked through the day’s economic news, the myriad of statistics that came out today on jobless claims and housing,” Gibbs said. “The president asked that this be added each day to his schedule, as the country is in the midst of an economic crisis and an economic emergency. And he felt it was important that each day he receive the most up-to-date information as it relates to the economy, as we put together an economic reinvestment and recovery plan, as well as future financial stability packages, to ensure that our economy gets moving again.”