A new report claims that some White House staffers are being forced to tread carefully when briefing the president on certain topics because they want to avoid incurring Biden’s anger and are “extremely scared.”
“It’s like, ‘Don’t put that in, it will upset him’ or ‘Put that in, he likes it,'” the official said. He told PoliticoHe noted that some of the 81-year-old president’s closest aides feel they have to walk through a minefield before each briefing to avoid incurring the president’s wrath.
“It’s a Rorschach test, not a description,” the source said, “because while he’s being described he’s not a pleasant person to be around. It’s very difficult and people are not scared of him at all.”
“This would be a disaster for Biden as he won’t listen to advice from anyone outside a few senior aides and will become increasingly isolated from their control efforts,” the source said.
The White House has vehemently denied that portrayal of the president, with deputy press secretary Andrew Bates emphasizing to The Washington Post on Tuesday that “that’s not who he is.”
In the past, allegations have surfaced that Biden has a short temper when upset about certain situations, sometimes berating aides in vulgar language.
The president has also had public outbursts, such as when faced with tough questioning from The Washington Post.
Other aides reportedly tried to bring colleagues into the meetings for emotional support.
Biden has relied on a very close circle of aides to shield him from the media and other groups, including senior adviser Anita Dunn and former chiefs of staff Ron Klain, Mike Donilon, Steve Ricchetti and Bruce Reed.
The Washington Post has learned that Biden’s son, Hunter, was also at the White House function this week following his disastrous presidential debate defeat against Republican rival Donald Trump.
Since President Biden’s embarrassing appearance, the White House has faced tough new questions about the protective bubble around him and his cognitive state.
“There’s definitely groupthink,” a Democratic donor adviser told Politico about the aides who have defended Biden. “They’ve known each other for a long time.
“Any reasonable person watching the debate will have concerns and to ignore them would be an act of arrogance in the eyes of many,” the source said, referring to some in the Democratic elite who have publicly said there is nothing to see when it comes to Biden’s mental health.
The Democratic activist added about the group: “They don’t accept dissent.”
“If you tried to do that, you wouldn’t be invited to the next call or the next meeting.”
A senior House Democrat described the Biden team as “fairly insular” and “not really caring what anybody has to say.”
Biden’s debate performance has left Democrats in a state of confusion and panic about whether they can win the presidential election again on November 5, with each blaming the other for the whole affair.
Further compounding the concerns is the fact that many leading Democrats claim Biden did not reach out to them after the debate to reassure them or offer direction amid the heated debate.
A senior Democratic aide told The Washington Post that the president has not been in direct contact with any of his party’s members on Capitol Hill.
“You can’t go to a rally with all the issues you’ve had and think that box’s been checked,” one Democratic strategist said, arguing that Biden could have eased concerns by appearing on TV talk shows on Sunday.
But a White House official denied the allegations, telling The Washington Post that there had been “meaningful outreach at senior levels.”
Staff disputes characterization of Biden’s briefing behavior
Some current and former staffers have also publicly disputed portrayals of Biden’s behind-the-scenes behavior during briefings.
“I have personally helped brief President Biden on numerous occasions, and this has not been my experience. In fact, the opposite has been true: we have overemphasized the downsides of recommended courses of action so that the President could fully evaluate the costs and benefits,” Bharat Ramamurti, a former vice director of the National Economic Council, wrote on X.
“Will he ask tough questions to make sure the ideas are right? Absolutely. If he’s uncomfortable with that, he shouldn’t be briefing the president of the United States.”
Bates also criticized the allegations as an “unfair distortion of the process that exists in every administration.”
“In every administration, there are individuals who would prefer to spend more time with the president and senior officials,” Bates said in a statement.
“President Biden is working with a wide range of team members in what he believes is the most diverse White House ever, fighting hard every day for families and whose determination, values and experience are driving historic results for the American people.”
A White House official also told the Post, “The president actively seeks input from a wide range of staff members with different experiences.”
“upon [Air Force 1]”He comes around from time to time to check on the members’ areas of responsibility, how their trips went, etc. He also has a rotating cast of people coming in.[国家安全保障会議]”We’re also very interested in the National Security Council and domestic policy subject matter experts who rotate in and out,” the official added. [NationalSecurityCouncil}anddomesticpolicysubjectmatterexpertswhorotateinandout”theofficialadded
“The number of people attending a briefing or preparatory meeting can be as small as eight to 10 people.”
The president’s campaign has insisted that Trump will participate in a debate against him hosted by ABC News on September 10.
Biden also agreed to do an interview with ABC, which will air in pieces later this week.
The president acknowledged his shortcomings during the debate but maintained, “I would not run again if I did not truly believe I could do the job.”
