Published 12:04 IST, January 21st 2021
'Will fire you on the spot': Biden tells staff members to treat colleagues with respect
Biden stamped his authority on the first day at the WH by telling his new staff members that he would terminate them if he found them thrashing one another.
US President Joe Biden stamped his authority on the first day at the White House by telling his new staff members that he would terminate them if he found them thrashing one another. Biden has pledged to restore dignity to the US government. On January 20, he made it explicitly clear to his staff that he wanted to break with the toxic environment that pervaded the West Wing during the previous administration and he wanted them to be governed by collegiality and respect.
During a televised swearing-in officials ceremony, Biden said, “If you’re ever working with me and I hear you treating another colleague with disrespect, talking down to someone, I will fire you on the spot”.
The newly minted President added that he wanted his staff to treat each other with decency, something he said had “been missing a big way the past four years”. Biden also said that the only thing he expects, from all the officials, with absolute certitude is honesty. “We have to restore the soul of this country, and I’m counting on all of you to be part of that,” Biden said.
The US President swore in nearly 1,000 federal appointees and staff in a virtual ceremony in the State Dinning Room at the White House. He spoke from behind a lectern, while the appointees appeared at the event via video streams. The President also told the group that "we have such an awful lot to do" and said that containing the pandemic and administering coronavirus vaccines will be the "most consequential logistical thing that's ever been done in the United States.”
Biden and Harris’ inauguration
Meanwhile, Joe Biden, the 46th President of the United States and Kamala Harris, the first woman vice president were inaugurated at the US Capitol on January 20. Biden’s administration has taken over the White House with ambitious goals to achieve in the very first days. Harris was sworn in by Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor and Biden by Chief Supreme Court Justice John Roberts.
Following the inaugural ceremony, Biden sent his first tweet after taking the oath and noted that 'there's no time to waste'. He not only informed that he will be heading to the Oval Office on Wednesday but also said that he will deliver 'bold' actions for instant relief for Americans. In the first speech, officially as the president, Biden said that the Inauguration Day was a celebration of democracy and that the "the will of the people has been heard." He noted the challenges ahead of his administration and even thanked his predecessors of both parties.
Updated 12:04 IST, January 21st 2021