The chief usher was sacked, and the staff was sent home early Wednesday, which may explain why the Bidens arrived to find the doors to the North Portico closed.
One of Donald and Melania Trump’s final small acts in a presidential transition charitably described as grudging was to send White House ushers home for the day on Wednesday morning, leaving the new first family to fend for themselves upon entering, according to several informed sources.
“The Trumps sent the butlers home when they left so there would be no one to help the Bidens when they arrived,” a well-placed official not associated with the incoming Biden team told National Journal. “So petty.”
The no-shows apparently included chief usher Timothy Harleth. Sources familiar with what happened confirm that Harleth, a former executive of Trump Hotels hired by Melania Trump, was summarily fired by the Trumps before they left—not by the Bidens, as has been widely reported.
Harleth was shown the door before the Bidens reached the door at the North Portico on Wednesday afternoon for their first official entrance as president and first lady. Video of their arrival showed them waving to photographers and hugging for the cameras for more than a minute—longer than typical presidential photo ops—before approaching the entrance with their family. The heavy doors swung open from within about 15 seconds later.
“It’s a big protocol breach for the president to ever stand in front of a closed door at the White House,” a veteran White House social expert said.
That same source suggested Harleth’s sacking might be to blame: "That may be why there was nobody to open the doors to the Bidens. You couldn’t expect the Biden staff to know to do that. Doors are opened and closed by ushers. There are rules about all these things and everyone has their job.”
“It doesn’t strike me as strange at all that the doors were closed as it made for a nicer photo for the Bidens, which I bet the advance team requested,” another former senior White House official added. “But what should have happened is that a Biden staff member should have alerted the usher or staff person on the other side of that door that it was time to open it. That was a staff mistake.”
Sidelining the ushers and sacking their boss amidst the most chaotic, intense several hours for any White House—moving one president and his family out and another in—was perhaps the final break with precedent at the end of a wholly unorthodox transition, several sources confirmed. Neither Trump met with the Bidens, transition meetings were delayed by several weeks, and Trump administration officials withheld sensitive foreign policy and national security information.
Harleth was considered an unabashed Trump loyalist in White House circles but had told associates he was hoping to stay on with the new regime. That was never going to happen beyond a decent interval, insiders told National Journal, mainly because of his close ties to the Trumps and ongoing friction between him and the scrupulously nonpartisan household staff. In November, he fired some long-serving residence staff, depriving Jill Biden and her East Wing team of more institutional experience and complicating the transition.
Former spokespersons from the Trump White House had no information about the matter. Trump representatives in Florida and Harleth could not be reached for comment. Biden White House officials had no comment.
As of Thursday, “the [usher] staff is back in place,” an official familiar with the kerfuffle confirmed.
5 comments:
I just found out that our friend DUCKY has COVID!
If you drop by and read this, Ducky, we're thinking of you and hoping you'll recover. My 85 year old sister in Florida, battling cancer, recovered from it. Sending you good thoughts for recovery!
But... that TAN Suit!!!
Those feet on the desk!!!!!
That IPod that was given to the Queen of England!!!!!
Of course us lefties will be vilified for our faux over the top outrage as more and more stuff like this comes out. These weren't silly little pranks, ala taking the W's off of keyboards. These were personal affronts to an incoming president, under order of an outgoing president.
There is no limit to the childishness of the Trump clan.
That's the best I can do in a forum that might be seen and read by underage children.
As for DUCKY... he said he's recovering. I was worried after I saw this today.
Get well Ducky... I skipped responding at AOW because... well, I'm sure you understand.
Ducky, best of wishes man. You will defeat this thing. Sending goid healing vibes!
tRUMP - PETTY, narcissistic, lying, conman.
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