New US President Joe Biden and his wife lived embarrassing moments when they were about to enter their new home in the White House, during the night of the president's inauguration, when they found the door to the house closed, before a worker rushed to open it, according to what the New York Times reported, Thursday January 21 January 2021.
President Biden and first lady Jill Biden walked down the aisle toward their new home on Wednesday January 20, climbed the stairs to the door, then waved to the crowds as military music was playing, and turned toward the door to find it closed.
Embarrassing moment for Joe Biden and his wife
Soon the door was wide open, and Joe Biden entered. The embarrassing moment lasted only a few seconds - about 10 seconds to be exact - but it did not go unnoticed in Washington.
"There was a breach of protocol when the doors were not opened to the first presidential family upon their arrival," said Lea Lieberman, who served as the White House Social Secretary in the government of President George W. Bush.
It turned out that the violation was small, but it indicated the series of strange chaos over the two and a half months between Joe Biden's election day and the day of the inauguration. There was nothing natural in the transition between the Trump and Biden administrations, and the White House's transformation into an administration of new occupants was no exception.
In the absence of the chief of staff who was fired
There was no chief employee to greet the Bidens upon their arrival. Although it is not entirely clear what caused the delay in opening the doors - which are usually opened by guards from the Marines - the chief staff member assigned to running the house at the White House was fired less than five hours ago.
Timothy Harlith, Trump's chief of staff and former room manager at the Trump International Hotel in Washington, was busy moving furniture on the day of the inauguration until he was notified at 11:30 a.m. to be dismissed, according to people familiar with the matter.
It is not clear who Joe Biden will choose to replace Harlith yet, although there are many deputy chiefs of staff who have kept their jobs.
While Harlith said in a statement: “It was an honor for me to occupy the position of Chief of Staff, a position that is not loyal to a particular president, but to the institution of the presidency. Management only, but for the future success of the president's office.