The volcanic personality hiding behind ‘Uncle Joe’s’ folksy image – Times of India
NEW DELHI: In the run up to the presidential elections in 2020, the Biden campaign had painstakingly cultivated an image of the then 78-year-old Joe Biden as a kindly uncle who loves Aviator sunglasses and ice cream. But it seems his stately demeanor is not the entire truth, according to a report by Axios.
In public, President Joe Biden likes to whisper to make a point. In private, he is prone to yelling, said the report, citing several administration officials.
In fact, Biden’s quick-trigger temper is so well-known that most aides try not to engage him alone. Most will go in pairs, almost as a shield against a solo blast.
The president’s admonitions include: “God dammit, how the f**k don’t you know this?!,” “Don’t f**king bullsh*t me!” and “Get the f**k out of here!” — according to current and former Biden aides who have witnessed and been on the receiving end of such outbursts.
With increased media coverage on Biden’s verbal as well as physical missteps, some Biden aides think the president would be better off occasionally displaying his temper in public as a way to assuage voter concerns that the 80-year-old is getting too old for the office.
“There’s no question that the Biden temper is for real. It may not be as volcanic as Bill Clinton’s, but it’s definitely there,” said the Axios report, quoting Chris Whipple, author of “The Fight of His Life: Inside Joe Biden’s White House”.
Angry interrogations
Aides say Biden’s temper comes in the form of angry interrogations rather than erratic tantrums.
He will grill aides on topics until it’s clear they don’t know the answer to a question — a routine that some see as meticulous and others call “stump the chump” or “stump the dummy”.
Being yelled at by the president has become an initiation ceremony of sorts in the White House, aides say — if Biden doesn’t yell at you, it could be a sign he doesn’t respect you.
Some Biden aides argue that the president’s outbursts reflect his high expectations for his staff.
Some administration officials, many of whom went to elite schools, struggle with Biden’s demand to ditch wonky, acronym-filled language and brief him as if they were talking to a close family member who isn’t in the DC bubble.
Biden’s defenders acknowledge he can be tough. But they also say he can be more generous and compassionate than many powerful politicians and can make them feel like family. That’s partly why so many aides have worked with Biden for decades, and go in and out of his orbit, they say.
Biden tries to conceal his temper in public but occasionally has shown flashes of it — and some former aides have written about it.
Jeff Connaughton, a former Biden campaign and Senate aide told Axios that Biden “hides his sharper edge to promote his folksy Uncle Joe image — which is why, when flashes of anger break through, it seems so out of public character.”
In public, President Joe Biden likes to whisper to make a point. In private, he is prone to yelling, said the report, citing several administration officials.
In fact, Biden’s quick-trigger temper is so well-known that most aides try not to engage him alone. Most will go in pairs, almost as a shield against a solo blast.
The president’s admonitions include: “God dammit, how the f**k don’t you know this?!,” “Don’t f**king bullsh*t me!” and “Get the f**k out of here!” — according to current and former Biden aides who have witnessed and been on the receiving end of such outbursts.
With increased media coverage on Biden’s verbal as well as physical missteps, some Biden aides think the president would be better off occasionally displaying his temper in public as a way to assuage voter concerns that the 80-year-old is getting too old for the office.
“There’s no question that the Biden temper is for real. It may not be as volcanic as Bill Clinton’s, but it’s definitely there,” said the Axios report, quoting Chris Whipple, author of “The Fight of His Life: Inside Joe Biden’s White House”.
Angry interrogations
Aides say Biden’s temper comes in the form of angry interrogations rather than erratic tantrums.
He will grill aides on topics until it’s clear they don’t know the answer to a question — a routine that some see as meticulous and others call “stump the chump” or “stump the dummy”.
Being yelled at by the president has become an initiation ceremony of sorts in the White House, aides say — if Biden doesn’t yell at you, it could be a sign he doesn’t respect you.
Some Biden aides argue that the president’s outbursts reflect his high expectations for his staff.
Some administration officials, many of whom went to elite schools, struggle with Biden’s demand to ditch wonky, acronym-filled language and brief him as if they were talking to a close family member who isn’t in the DC bubble.
Biden’s defenders acknowledge he can be tough. But they also say he can be more generous and compassionate than many powerful politicians and can make them feel like family. That’s partly why so many aides have worked with Biden for decades, and go in and out of his orbit, they say.
Biden tries to conceal his temper in public but occasionally has shown flashes of it — and some former aides have written about it.
Jeff Connaughton, a former Biden campaign and Senate aide told Axios that Biden “hides his sharper edge to promote his folksy Uncle Joe image — which is why, when flashes of anger break through, it seems so out of public character.”
