President Joe Biden has a very hot temper behind closed doors, making him quick to aggressive outbursts, according to current and former aides who have witnessed the president’s explosions.
According to Axios, Biden’s short temper often leads to yelling, with many aides becoming the target of rebukes like:
- “God damn it, how the f-ck don’t you know this?!”
- “Don’t f-cking bullsh-t me!”
- “Get the f-ck out of here!”
To avoid a solo attack, some aides prefer to travel in pairs, the sources said.
“No one is safe,” one Biden administration official added.
Biden’s temper doesn’t always lead to an outburst. Sometimes, it comes out as an interrogation, during which the president will question his aides until they don’t know an answer. The practice has become known as “stump the chump” or “stump the dummy” at the White House.
Being on the receiving end of an outburst is a rite of passage, and if Biden doesn’t yell at someone, he probably doesn’t respect him or her, the aides said.
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Ted Kaufman, Biden’s former chief of staff, told Axios that the president’s methods make him a strong leader.
“If there is something that’s not in the brief, he’s going to find it,” he said. “It’s not to embarrass people, it’s because he wants to get to the right decision. Most people who have worked for him like the fact that he challenges them and gets them to a better decision.”
Former Biden campaign aide Jeff Connaughton shared details about Biden’s hot temper in his book “The Payoff: Why Wall Street Wins.”
According to Connaughton, Biden was an “egomaniacal autocrat … determined to manage his staff through fear” as a senator.
Connaughton recalled one time a young staffer got into the car with Biden during the 2008 presidential campaign. The aide informed then-Senator Biden that he had to do some fundraising calls.
Biden snapped at the aide, saying, “Get the f-ck out of the car.”
