‘How the F**k Don’t You Know This?!’ Axios Dishes on Biden Yelling at WH Aides and ‘Quick-Trigger Temper’
AP Photo/Andrew Harnik
President Joe Biden has an explosive temper that has caused White House aides to dread meetings with him, according to a new report that paints the president in a different light than the whispering and jovial figure he presents publicly.
An Axios report published Monday delves into his purported temper and tendency to yell at aides in angry interrogative outbursts. Administration sources told the outlet “no one is safe” from this wrathful side of Biden, and that his aides still talk about an incident when he stormed at Jeff Zients (before he became Biden’s chief of staff) when there was a Covid testing kit shortage years ago.
From the report:
Behind closed doors, Biden has such a quick-trigger temper that some aides try to avoid meeting alone with him. Some take a colleague, 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.
Biden’s temper is described as “angry interrogations rather than erratic tantrums.” Some of his aides described these episodes as reflecting his high expectations, while others regard Biden’s yelling as an “internal initiation ceremony in this White House.”
“Biden’s defenders acknowledge he can be tough,” the report says. “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.”
While Biden typically tries to represent himself as a calm and stabilizing presence publicly, some on his team reportedly wonder if he should allow his temper to show itself at times if it can counteract the recurring concerns about his age and vigor. Axios notes that it has happened before, as exemplified when Biden was caught on a hot mic calling Fox News reporter Peter Doocy a “stupid son of a b*tch.”
