Top aides to President Joe Biden have carefully shielded him from others, resulting in his dismal performance during the June 27 debate with former President Donald Trump.
According to Axios, "the intermittent access" to Biden "has resulted in many current and former White House aides being shocked" at his limitations during the debate. Given this development, they are "now questioning whether he could fulfill a second term.
The president's behavior stunned many White House aides, Axios pointed out, partly due to the efforts of his closest aides to rope him off early in his term. Anthony Bernal, senior advisor to First Lady Jill Biden, and Deputy Chief of Staff to the President Annie Tomasini were in charge of this. So serious were the efforts of the two aides that even the White House's residence staff, which serves the first family in the building's living quarters, has been kept at arm's length.
One former residence official told Axios that Jill was "so protective" of her husband and Bernal is equally protective of her. "They often wouldn't let us do anything for them," they said. (Related: Operation Bubble Wrap: Jill Biden and several White House staffers SHIELDING Joe Biden from unscripted media interactions.)
"The separation between the [Biden] family and the residence staff was so big, so divided. It's not supposed to be and usually isn't, even in the Trump White House."
Bernal, Tomasini and other close aides had easy access to the White House's residence area, which some residence staff found unusual as political staffers typically do not have such access. This, Axios added, served as an example of the tight circle around the president.
A current White House official responded to the former residence official's disclosures. They clarified that the president "is deeply appreciative of the residence staff's work, but is unused to being waited on regularly or having butlers – so some staff are often allowed to go home early." The official also noted that Bernal and Tomasini did not request to have easy access to the residential area and that there are other political staffers who also have access to the living quarters.
Are Biden's aides hiding something?
The former residence official also recounted an early incident that set a tone for many of residence staffers. On July 4, 2021, Biden hosted a party on the White House's South Lawn. During the same event, he declared "independence" from the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
It was a hot day and after spending hours outside, Biden went back into the White House through the Diplomatic Room and then into the nearby Map Room. As soon as the president entered the Map Room, the door was abruptly closed as his top aides blocked the White House butlers and residence staff from aiding the president.
While the top aides suggested that the president was just "a little overheated," residence staff weren't convinced. The latter felt like Biden's close aides were creating a barrier around anything possibly related to the president's health, according to the erstwhile residence official.
"Shielding Biden was a safe and obvious move during [the] COVID-19 [pandemic]," according to Axios. "But some within the White House have felt that some of those habits have lingered long afterward."
The current White House official also commented on the July 2021 incident, telling the outlet: "There are many reasons for presidents to need some staff to leave the room at any time, because they often deal with sensitive information."
"In every administration, there are individuals who would prefer to spend more time with the president and senior officials," White House Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates told Axios.
"President Biden fights hard for families every day, working with a wide range of team members at what he is proud is the most diverse White House ever – and achieving historic results for the American people because of his determination, values and experience."
Watch this Sky News report about current and former aides to President Joe Biden expressing concerns about his age.
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