This week, President Joe Biden wasted no time informing hundreds of senior administration officials that, unlike what they had witnessed from the Trump administration, they would all be required to treat each other with “decency” or risk losing their jobs.
“We have to restore the soul of this country,” Biden told the appointees while welcoming his team via a virtual swearing-in ceremony. “And I’m counting on all of you to be part of that, and it’s not hyperbole.”
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“You work for the people. I work for the people,” Biden continued. “You’re going to work like the devil. We all do. We all work long hours.”
“If you’re ever working with me and I hear you treat another colleague with disrespect, talk down to someone, I promise I will fire you on the spot,” he warned, his usual warm demeanor replaced by a stern look.
“On the spot, no ifs, ands or buts,” he said. “Everybody, everybody is entitled to be treated with decency and dignity.”
Watch Biden swear in his political appointees and issue a warning:
— The Recount (@therecount) January 20, 2021
“If you’re ever working with me and I hear you treat another colleague with disrespect, talk down to someone, I promise I will fire you on the spot.”pic.twitter.com/6ydnUXQf0d
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“The only thing I expect with absolute certainty is honesty and decency, the way you treat one another, the way you treat the people you deal with,” he concluded.
Following his speech, the President instructed the aides to raise their right hands and take the oath.
“As my mom would say, God love y’all,” he said after the swearing-in. “We got a lot of work to do. Thank you for being willing to join.”
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