Gloomy, Unappreciated Joe Biden Staffers Eying the Exits

WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 18: U.S. President Joe Biden pauses as he delivers remarks on the
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Charlie Spiering

President Joe Biden’s staffers at the White House are eying the exits, citing dissatisfaction with the president and his staff’s leadership.

Poltico’s West Wing Playbook reports several White House officials complaining of “low morale” while warning of “higher than usual turnover” in 2022.

One official spoke of a failure to rally the troops with team building and coordination. Happy hours and group dinners are not working, and a sense of teamwork and appreciation is not happening.

The feeling is, staffers say, is an “insular, top-heavy” West Wing where aides distance themselves from the rest of the staff. Biden is also distant and invisible and some staffers have not even been able to visit the White House, with the reported problems mirroring those afflicting Vice President Kamala Harris and her staff.

“It’s also hypocritical and ironic that a President whose brand is built on empathy and family has staff policies that fly in the face of that brand,” an official complained. “It’s not a good look and it’s emblematic of how this place runs.”

Biden only keeps a small group close, aides say, and there are “no new friends in Biden world.”

The Christmas season was particularly depressing for many staffers, as they were unable to bring friends and family to see the White House decorations.

Others point at the lack of consistency in White House messaging during the coronavirus crisis.

The White House lottery system used to select who got to visit and who did not left a lot of staffers out of the queue as “D.C. randos” were posting pictures on their social media. Only three days were opened up for decoration tours.

The White House did not respond to request for comment.

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