Biden warns White House staff he'll 'fire them on the spot' if they disrespect others - Daily Mail

Biden gives White House staffers stern warning they'll be 'fired on the spot' if they disrespect each other as part of his pledge to 'restore decency' in US government

• Biden made the threat as he swore in around 1,000 appointed political aides from the White House State Dining Room during a virtual ceremony
• He said: 'If you're ever working with me and I hear you treat another colleague with disrespect or talk down to someone...I will fire you on the spot - on the spot'
• The new president sought to remind his incoming staff that he has entrusted them to help 'restore the soul of this country'
• He appeared to allude to reports of frequent infighting between top aides and advisers within the Trump administration 
• 'The only thing I expect with absolute certainty is honesty and decency, the way you treat one another, the way you treat the people you deal with,' he said

By Luke Kenton For Dailymail.com

Published: 06:55 GMT, 21 January 2021 | Updated: 07:54 GMT, 21 January 2021

President Joe Biden pledged to restore dignity to the US government on Wednesday, warning his new staff that they will be 'fired on the spot' if he catches them being disrespectful to others. 

The 46th US President made the threat as he swore in around 1,000 appointed political aides during a virtual ceremony held in the White House State Dining Room yesterday evening.

'I'm not joking when I say this: If you're ever working with me and I hear you treat another colleague with disrespect or talk down to someone, I promise you, I will fire you on the spot — on the spot,' Biden cautioned.

'No ifs ands or buts. Everybody is entitled to be treated with decency and dignity. That's been missing in a big way the last four years.'

Biden added: 'We're going to be judged whether or not we restored the integrity and competency in this government. I need your help badly.'

Scroll down for video 

The 46th US President made the threat as he swore in around 1,000 appointed political aides from the White House State Dining Room during a virtual ceremony yesterday evening

'I'm not joking when I say this: If you're ever working with me and I hear you treat another colleague with disrespect or talk down to someone, I promise you, I will fire you on the spot — on the spot,' Biden cautioned

The new president sought to remind his incoming staff that he has entrusted them to help 'restore the soul of this country.'

'You're engaged in and you're working with the most decent government in the world. And we have to restore the soul of this country,' he said. 'And I'm counting on all of you to be a part of that - it's not hyperbole.

'You work for the people,' he continued. 'You're going to work like the devil. We all [will]. We will all work long hours.'

Biden appeared to allude to reports of frequent infighting between top aides and advisers within the Trump administration during his predecessor's turbulent four years in office.

'The only thing I expect with absolute certainty is honesty and decency, the way you treat one another, the way you treat the people you deal with.'

Biden was sworn into office just before noon at the Capitol.

He told aides: 'I'm going to make mistakes. When I make them, I'll acknowledge them. And I'll tell you. And I'll need your help to help me correct them. We're not going to walk away. We're going to take responsibility. That's what we do. That's what you do.'

The new president sought to remind his incoming staff that he has entrusted them to help 'restore the soul of this country' 

Speaking to his staff from the White House State Dining Room, Biden recounted for the group a conversation he shared with Chinese President Xi Jinping during his time as Vice President.

Biden said he told the Chinese leader that a one-day definition of America was 'possibilities'.

'[Xi] said, 'Can you define America for me?' Biden said. 'I said, 'Yes' — and I meant it — 'and I can do it in one word, one word: possibilities, possibilities. We believe anything is possible if we set our mind to it.'

Biden told his staff: 'You're my possibilities. You're the way we're going to get this done.'

He then told his aides they were about to embark on a broad mission, and listed some of his goals for the next four years.

'You're going to try to keep us safe and secure from the threats and the unseen, to root out systemic racism,' he said. 'We've reached a point in my view, where the American people had to sort of have blinders have been taken off. They've been taken off and realize they didn't realize before, just how much systemic racism still exists.'

He also pledged, 'we can meet up to this existential threat of climate change. I really believe it.'

Shortly after 6pm, Biden called for the aides to raise their right hands and take the oath of office.

'As my mom would say, God love y'all,' Biden said after the swearing-in concluded. 'We got a lot of work to do. Thank you for being willing to join.'

In the hours before swearing the appointees in, Biden signed three executive orders in the Oval Office: establishing a COVID-19 mask mandate in federal buildings, stating that there should be more racial equality in healthcare and rejoining the Paris Climate Agreement.

In the hours before swearing the appointees in, Biden signed three executive orders in the Oval Office

President Joe Biden, First Lady Jill Biden and family, walk in front of the White House during a Presidential Escort

Biden revealed that Trump had left a 'private' letter behind for him on the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office.

'The president wrote a very generous letter,' Biden said. 'Because it was private, I won't talk about it until I talk to him. But it was generous.'

In his inaugural address, Biden issued a call for unity and promised to govern for 'all Americans' Wednesday, seeking to move the nation beyond the presidency of Donald Trump and what he described as an attack on democracy itself in his first remarks to the nation as president.

In the 22-minute speech, Biden said: 'My whole soul is in this. I'll keep everything I do in your service, thinking not of power but of possibilities, not of personal injuries but the public good.'

Biden did not mention Trump by name but wove a thread of contrast through his speech. He denounced 'lies told for power and for profit,' said 'there are truth and there are lies,' acknowledged the bitter divisions in the country as an 'uncivil war,' and referred to the MAGA mob which rioted in the place he spoke just two weeks ago, saying: 'Democracy prevailed.'

To all those who supported our campaign, I'm humbled by the faith you've placed in us. To all of those who did not support us, let me say this. Hear me out as we move forward. Take a measure of me and my heart,' said Biden.

'If you still disagree, so be it. That's democracy,' he told opponents. 'That's America. The right to dissent peaceably. Within the guardrails of our republic, it's perhaps this nation's greatest strength. Yet hear me clearly: disagreement must not lead to disunion. And I pledge this to you, I will be a president for all Americans – all Americans,' he said.

In his inaugural address, Biden issued a call for unity and promised to govern for 'all Americans' Wednesday, seeking to move the nation beyond the presidency of Donald Trump

Biden, in tactic acknowledgement of Trump's refusal to concede the election, announced 'democracy has prevailed' in the opening of his inaugural address

'The dream of justice for all will be deferred no longer' Biden said during his speech

He spoke with urgency about the 'painful lesson' of recent weeks, referencing the riot in the Capitol that followed Trump's effort to overturn the results in states that voted for Biden as a historic time of testing for the nation – but also pronounced that 'democracy has prevailed.'

'We must end this uncivil war that pits red against blue,' he said, echoing some of the themes of Barack Obama, who brought him to the White House only to watch his own agenda come under assault during the Trump presidency.

He warned of a 'dark winter' and listed the challenges he faces, including COVID, an economy in crisis, and the explosion of the Black Lives Matter movement in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd saying: 'A once in a century virus that silently stalks the country. It's taken as many lives in one year as America lost in all of World War II. Millions of jobs have been lost, hundreds of thousands of businesses closed, a cry for racial justice some 400 years in the making moves us. The dream of justice for all will be deferred no longer.'

But he said: 'To overcome these challenges, to restore the soul and secure the future of America, requires so much more than words. It requires the most elusive of all things in a democracy, unity.'

To close out Inauguration Day, Biden and First Lady Jill huddled closely together on the Truman Balcony as a stunning firework display illuminated the skies above DC

Biden reiterated his calls of unity and urged the American people to 'meet the challenge' of the months ahead during a rousing speech at the Lincoln Memorial Wednesday night, during the Celebrating America broadcast.

'This is a great nation. We're a good people and [to] overcome the challenges in front of us requires the most elusive of all things in a democracy — unity. It requires us to come together in common love that defines us as Americans,' he said.

After listing difficulties faced by the nation including the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, an economic crisis, racial injustice, climate change and internal threats to the country's democracy, Biden rhetorically asked if Americans felt up to the challenge.

'Will we meet the moment like our forebears have?' he asked. 'I believe we must and I believe we will. You, the American people are the reason why I have never been more optimistic about America that I am this very day.'

'There isn't anything we can't do, if we do it together,' he added. 'So thank you for this honor, I will give my all to you.'  

To close out Inauguration Day, Biden and First Lady Jill huddled closely together on the Truman Balcony as a stunning firework display illuminated the skies above DC during a performance from Katy Perry. The Bidens' children and grandchildren danced and clapped on a neighboring ledge.

READ JOE BIDEN'S FULL INAUGURAL ADDRESS

Chief Justice Roberts, Vice President Harris, Speaker Pelosi, Leader Schumer, Leader McConnell, Vice President Pence, and my distinguished guests, my fellow Americans, this is America's day. This is democracy's day, a day of history and hope, of renewal and resolve. Through a crucible for the ages, America has been tested anew. And America has risen to the challenge. Today we celebrate the triumph, not of a candidate, but of a cause, the cause of democracy. The people, the will of the people, has been heard, and the will of the people has been heeded.

We've learned again that democracy is precious. Democracy is fragile. And at this hour, my friends, democracy has prevailed. 

So now, on this hallowed ground, where just a few days ago violence sought to shake the Capitol's very foundation, we come together as one nation under God, indivisible, to carry out the peaceful transfer of power as we have for more than two centuries. As we look ahead in our uniquely American way, restless, bold, optimistic, and set our sights on the nation we know we can be and we must be.

I thank my predecessors of both parties for their presence here today. I thank them from the bottom of my heart. And I know, and I know the resilience of our constitution and the strength, the strength of our nation, as does President Carter who I spoke with last night, who cannot be with us today, but whom we salute for his lifetime in service.

I've just taken the sacred oath each of those patriots have taken. The oath first sworn by George Washington. But the American story depends not on any one of us, not on some of us, but on all of us, on we the people, who seek a more perfect union. This is a great nation. We are good people. And over the centuries, through storm and strife, in peace and in war, we've come so far, but we still have far to go.

We'll press forward with speed and urgency, for we have much to do in this winter of peril and significant possibilities. Much to repair, much to restore, much to heal, much to build, and much to gain. Few people in our nation's history have been more challenged or found a time more challenging or difficult than the time we're in now.

Once in a century virus that silently stalks the country. It's taken as many lives in one year as America lost in all of World War II. Millions of jobs have been lost, hundreds of thousands of

businesses closed, a cry for racial justice some 400 years in the making moves us. The dream of justice for all will be deferred no longer. 

A cry for survival comes from planet itself. A cry that can't be any more desperate or any more clear, and now a rise of political extremism, white supremacy, domestic terrorism that we must confront and we will defeat. 

To overcome these challenges, to restore the soul and secure the future of America, requires so much more than words. It requires the most elusive of all things in a democracy, unity. Unity. In another January, on New Year's Day in 1863, Abraham Lincoln signed the emancipation proclamation. When he put pen to paper, the president said, and I quote, 'if my name ever goes down into history, it'll be for this act, and my whole soul is in it.'

'My whole soul is in it.' Today, on this January day, my whole soul is in this: bringing America together, uniting our people, uniting our nation. And I ask every American to join me in this cause. 

Uniting to fight the foes we face, anger, resentment and hatred, extremism, lawlessness, violence, disease, joblessness and hopelessness. With unity, we can do great things, important things.

We can right wrongs. We can put people to work in good jobs. We can teach our children in safe schools. We can overcome the deadly virus. We can reward -- reward work and rebuild the middle class and make health care secure for all. We can deliver racial justice and we can make America once again the leading force for good in the world.

I know speaking of unity can sound to some like a foolish fantasy these days. I know that the forces that divide us are deep and they are real. But I also know they are not new. Our history has been a constant struggle between the American ideal that we all are created equal, and the harsh ugly reality that racism, nativism, fear, demonization have long torn us apart.

The battle is perennial, and victory is never assured. Through civil war, the great depression, World War, 9/11, through struggle, sacrifices, and setbacks, our better angels have always prevailed. In each of these moments, enough of us -- enough of us -- have come together to carry all of us forward, and we can do that now.

History, faith, and reason show the way, the way of unity. We can see each other, not as adversaries, but as neighbors. We can treat each other with dignity and respect. We can join forces, stop the shouting, and lower the temperature. For without unity, there is no peace, only bitterness and fury.

No progress, only exhausting outrage. No nation, only a state of chaos. This is our historic moment of crisis and challenge, and unity is the path forward. And we must meet this moment as the United States of America. If we do that, I guarantee you, we will not fail. We have never, ever, ever, ever failed in America when we've acted together.

And so today, at this time, in this place, let's start afresh, all of us. Let's begin to listen to one another again.

Hear one another. See one another. Show respect to one another. Politics doesn't have to be a raging fire, destroying everything in its path. Every disagreement doesn't have to be a cause for total war. And we must reject the culture in which facts themselves are manipulated, and even manufactured. 

My fellow Americans, we have to be different than this. America has to be better than this, and I believe America is so much better than this. Just look around. Here we stand, in the shadow of the Capitol dome, as it was mentioned earlier, completed amid the civil war, when the union itself was literally hanging in the balance. Yet, we endured. We prevailed.

Here we stand, looking out on the great mall where Dr. King spoke of his dream. Here we stand where, 108 years ago at another inaugural, thousands of protesters tried to block brave women marching for the right to vote. And today, we mark the swearing of the first woman in American history elected to national office, Vice President Kamala Harris.

Don't tell me things can't change!

Here we stand, across the Potomac, from Arlington Cemetery, where heroes who gave the last full measure of devotion, rest in eternal peace. And here we stand, just days after a riotous mob thought they could use violence to silence the will of the people, to stop the work of our democracy, to drive us from this sacred ground. It did not happen. It will never happen. Not today. Not tomorrow. Not ever. Not ever. 

To all those who supported our campaign, I'm humbled by the faith you've placed in us. To all of those who did not support us, let me say this. Hear me out as we move forward. Take a measure of me and my heart.

If you still disagree, so be it. That's democracy. That's America. The right to dissent peaceably. Within the guardrails of our republic, it's perhaps this nation's greatest strength. Yet hear me clearly, disagreement must not lead to disunion. And I pledge this to you, I will be a president for all Americans, all Americans. 

And I promise you, I will fight as hard for those who did not support me as for those who did. 

Many centuries ago, St. Augustine, a saint in my church, wrote that a people was a multitude defined by the common objects of their love. Defined by the common objects of their love. What are the common objects we as Americans love, that define us as Americans?

I think we know. Opportunity, security, liberty, dignity, respect, honor and, yes, the truth. The recent weeks and months have taught us a painful lesson. There is truth and there are lies, lies told for power and for profit.

And each of us has a duty and a responsibility as citizens, as Americans, and especially as leaders, leaders who have pledged to honor our Constitution and protect our nation, to defend the truth and defeat the lies.

Look, I understand that many of my fellow Americans view the future with fear and trepidation. I understand they worry about their jobs. I understand like my dad, they lay in bed wondering, can I keep my health care, can I pay my mortgage. Thinking about their families, about what comes next. I promise you, I get it.

But the answer is not to turn inward, to retreat into competing factions, distrusting those who don't look like -- look like you or worship the way you do or don't get their news from the same source as you do. We must end this uncivil war that pits red against blue, rural versus -- rural versus urban, conservative versus liberal. We can do this if we open our souls instead of hardening our hearts.

If we show a little tolerance and humility, and if we are willing to stand in the other person's shoes -- as my mom would say -- just for a moment, stand in their shoes. Because here's the thing about life: there's no accounting for what fate will deal you.

Some days, when you need a hand. There are other days when we're called to lend a hand. That's how it has to be. That's what we do for one another.

And if we are this way, our country will be stronger, more prosperous, more ready for the future. And we can still disagree. My fellow Americans, in the work ahead of us, we're going to need each other. We need all our strength to preserve -- to persevere through this dark winter. We're entering what may be the toughest and deadliest period of the virus.

We must set aside politics and finally face this pandemic as one nation, one nation. And I promise you this. As the Bible says, 'weep, ye may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.' We will get through this together. Together. Look, folks, all my colleagues that I served with in the house and the senate up here, we all understand, the world is watching, watching all of us today. So here's my message to those beyond our borders.

America has been tested, and we've come out stronger for it. We will repair our alliances and engage with the world once again. Not to meet yesterday's challenges, but today's and tomorrow's challenges. 

And we'll lead not merely by the example of our power, but by the power of our example. We'll be a strong and trusted partner for peace, progress, and security.

Look, you all know, we've been through so much in this nation. In my first act as president, I'd like to ask you to join me in a moment of silent prayer to remember all those who we lost in this past year to the pandemic, those 400,000 fellow Americans -- moms, dads, husbands, wives, sons, daughters, friends, neighbors, and co-workers. We'll honor them by becoming the people and the nation we know we can and should be.

So, I ask you, let's say a silent prayer for those who have lost their lives and those left behind and for our country.

Amen. Folks, this is a time of testing. We face an attack on our democracy and on truth. A raging virus, growing inequity, the sting of systemic racism, a climate in crisis. America's role in the world. Any one of these would be enough to challenge us in profound ways. But the fact is, we face them all at once. Presenting this nation with one of the gravest responsibilities we've had. Now we're going to be tested.

Are we going to step up, all of us? It's time for boldness, for there is so much to do. And this is certain. I promise you, we will be judged, you and I, by how we resolve these cascading crises of our era. We will rise to the occasion, is the question. Will we master this rare and difficult hour?

Will we meet our obligations, and pass along a new and better world to our children? I believe we must. I'm sure you do as well. I believe we will. And when we do, we'll write the next great chapter in the history of the United States of America, the American story, a story that might sound something like a song that means a lot to me. It's called 'American Anthem.' And there's one verse that stands out, at least for me.

And it goes like this: 'The work and prayers of centuries have brought us to this day. What shall be our legacy? What will our children say? Let me know in my heart when my days are through. America, America, I gave my best to you.' Let's add. Let's, us, add our own work and prayers to the unfolding story of our great nation.

If we do this, then when our days are through, our children and our children's children will say of us, they gave their best, they did their duty, they healed a broken land. My fellow Americans, I close the day where I began, with a sacred oath before God and all of you. I give you my word, I will always level with you. I will defend the Constitution. I'll defend our democracy. I'll defend America.

And I'll give all, all of you, keep everything you -- I do in your service, thinking not of power but of possibilities, not of personal injuries but the public good. And together we shall write an American story of hope, not fear. Of unity, not division. Of light, not darkness. A story of decency and dignity, love and healing, greatness and goodness.

May this be the story that guides us, the story that inspires us, and the story that tells ages yet to come that we answered the call of history, we met the moment. Democracy and hope, truth and justice, did not die on our watch, but thrived, that America secured liberty at home and stood once again as a beacon to the world. That is what we owe our forebears, one another, and generations to follow.

So, with purpose and resolve, we turn to those tasked of our time, sustained by faith, driven by conviction, and devoted to one another and the country we love with all our hearts. May God bless America and may God protect our troops. Thank you, America. 

Advertisement

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMidGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmRhaWx5bWFpbC5jby51ay9uZXdzL2FydGljbGUtOTE3MDgwMy9CaWRlbi13YXJucy1XaGl0ZS1Ib3VzZS1zdGFmZi1oZWxsLWZpcmUtc3BvdC1kaXNyZXNwZWN0LW90aGVycy5odG1s0gF4aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGFpbHltYWlsLmNvLnVrL25ld3MvYXJ0aWNsZS05MTcwODAzL2FtcC9CaWRlbi13YXJucy1XaGl0ZS1Ib3VzZS1zdGFmZi1oZWxsLWZpcmUtc3BvdC1kaXNyZXNwZWN0LW90aGVycy5odG1s?oc=5

2021-01-21 06:55:00Z
52781319988560