Morale around the White House is low as staffers complain they won’t get the traditional parting gift of a photo with the president, according to Politico Playbook.
It is tradition in the Biden White House that staffers, once they decide to leave the administration, get a photo with the president as a thank you for their contribution, Politico Playbook reported. But as the president has cancelled the photos for the last few months, staffers are now concerned they might not get the coveted shot despite recent changes, according to the outlet. (RELATED: With All Eyes On Trump, Biden’s Bubble Gathered For One Last Swanky, Insulated Sendoff)
The Office of Management and Administration’s employee engagement team recently notified staff that they would be getting a photo on a rolling basis sometime over the next two months, but no additional guests will be allowed in the shot, according to an email obtained by Politico Playbook. This caveat upset staffers, the outlet reported, because family of staffers have typically been invited and would fly down for the occasion and a few minutes with the president.
“Instead of everyone being annoyed by no departure photos, now it’s only half of the people who are annoyed,” one current administration official told Politico Playbook.
US President Joe Biden speaks with White House staffers as he walks to board Marine One from the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, on August 16, 2024. Biden is traveling to Philadelphia before going to Camp David for the weekend. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)
But morale may have taken a bigger hit than some have expected, as senior staffers have found themselves frustrated to see junior officials getting photos with the president before them, Politico Playbook reported.
“It makes me annoyed that I’m even this annoyed, but it’s the principle of the matter and a coveted White House experience to get a departure photo,” a text from a former official obtained by Politico Playbook reads. “Like why did I see an intern turned staff assistant get a photo before me?”
Another former official told the outlet that a group of staffers are considering whether or not to write a petition in an effort to get senior staff photos with the president. An administration official told Politico Playbook that former staff are expected to receive invites soon to get a photo with the president, a move he hopes will be enough to quell concerns about the situation.
“These are the staffers who stood with Biden since Day 1, many since the lowest ebbs of the campaign,” one former official wrote in a message to colleagues, obtained by Politico Playbook.
“The staffers who gave everything to this President, who missed anniversaries, birthdays, their own doctors appointments, knowing democracy itself was on the line, deserve at the very least a proper goodbye from the man who says he owes them everything,” the message continues.
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris join hands in the air as they view the fireworks on the National Mall with First Lady Jill Biden and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff from the White House balcony during a 4th of July event on the South Lawn of the White House on July 4, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images)
Since dropping out of the presidential race in July, Biden has kept a relatively low profile. The president and his allies gathered Nov. 22, for a dinner meant to thank his longtime supporters. The president thanked attendees for supporting him both politically and throughout the tragedy in his life. The First Lady toasted to her husband, saying he was her “hero.”
“And I just want to say, thank you, thank you, thank you,” the president said.
“There’s another Irish poet who once said that history teaches us not to hope on this side of the grave, but then, once in a lifetime, a longed-for tidal wave of justice rises up and hope and history rhyme,” the 82-year-old appeared to recite from memory. “You’re making hope and history rhyme.”
