We know about the shorter stairs Joe Biden uses to board and deplane Air Force One and the special shoes he wears. But according to a new report, Biden's disastrous debate performance caught even many White House staffers off guard.
How is that possible, you ask? Well, according to Axios, Biden's closest aides, led by Jill Biden's top aide Anthony Bernal and deputy chief of staff Annie Tomasini, "took steps early in his term to essentially rope off the president." They have even kept the residence staff, who serve the first family, distant.
A former residence official noted that Jill Biden's protectiveness with Bernal's support often prevented staff from assisting them, creating an unusual separation compared to previous administrations. According to a former residence official who spoke to Axios, Jill Biden was "so protective of the president, and then Anthony just protects her, and they often wouldn't let us do anything for them."
"The separation between the family and the residence staff was so big, so divided," the former staffer told the outlet. "It's not supposed to be and usually isn't, even in the Trump White House."
A White House official claimed that while Biden appreciates the residence staff's work, he isn't used to others waiting on him, leading to some staff having to go home early. But that excuse doesn't hold water. Bernal, Tomasini, and other close aides had easy access to the residence, which some staff found unusual.
Related: This Post-Debate Memo From the Biden Campaign Is Comedy Gold
The report noted that an incident on July 4, 2021, early in Biden's term, set the tone for staff. After a party, Biden returned inside and his aides blocked residence staff from assisting him, highlighting the tight circle around the president.
Axios reports that "[Biden's aides] suggested to the staffers that the president was just a little overheated. But the episode left residence staff feeling like his close aides were creating a barrier around anything possibly related to the president's health, the former official said."
A current White House official told Axios, "There are many reasons for presidents to need some staff to leave the room at any time because they often deal with sensitive information."
But former White House deputy director of photography Chandler West, who has also seen things, is calling on Biden to drop out.
"It's time for Joe to go," wrote Chandler West in an Instagram story after the debate. West served as the White House's deputy director of photography from January 2021 to May 2022.
Related: DNC Insiders: Biden Was Set Up to Fail in a ‘Soft Coup'
"As a former administration official and someone who has spent time with Joe Biden since his days as Vice President, I'm here to publicly say what too many people have only been saying in private — it's time for Joe to go," he wrote. "President Biden must step aside and create a path for another candidate to step in as the party's flag-bearer. Anything short of that would be a dereliction of duty."
His Instagram post continued:
That change, of course, this late in the game can't happen unless it comes from the top. That's why I feel it's critically important that the people around him are honest with themselves and the American people.
I know many of these people and how the White House operates. They will say he has a "cold" or just experienced a "bad night," but for weeks and months, in private, they have all said what we saw last night-Joe is not as strong as he was just a couple of years ago. It's clear to everyone that he doesn't have the strength to lead the nation effectively.
"The debate was not the first bad day, and it's not gonna be the last," West told Alex Thompson of Axios.
News: Post-debate, the WH’s former deputy photo director Chandler West wrote on Instagram
— Alex Thompson (@AlexThomp) June 30, 2024
"It's time for Joe to go,” per screenshots obtained by Axios.
Reached by phone, West said: “the debate was not the first bad day, and it's not gonna be the last."https://t.co/Zgw3jyBFrn pic.twitter.com/TGFmm4peUG
Perhaps the biggest problem this report poses for Biden is that now that some former aides have spoken out, more will come.
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