Unity has to start at the White House, staff told

THE new President has warned White House officials that his call for national unity applies to them as much as any other American.

Joe Biden threatened to fire disrespectful staff ‘on the spot’, saying they must treat each other with decency – with ‘no ifs and buts’ for those who don’t.

After an inauguration speech which called for calm in a divided nation, Mr Biden said his administration had to ‘restore the soul of this country... and it’s not hyperbole’.

His speech to staff indicated a sharp break from the White House of Donald Trump, which was hampered by infighting and the ex-President’s expletive-filled rants that left workers in the West Wing terrified of talking to him.

Mr Biden made his comments during a mass swearing-in of 1,000 senior officials who joined him on a

‘Restore the soul of this country’

Zoom call from the White House. He told them: ‘We have to restore the soul of this country, and I’m counting on all of you to be part of that, and it’s not hyperbole.

‘You work for the people. I work for the people. 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.

‘No ifs, ands or buts. Everybody, everybody is entitled to be treated with decency and dignity.’

Mr Biden also thanked the families of those who had signed up to work for the administration, and who would have to put up with the ‘long hours’ he expected of his staff. He added: ‘You’re going to work like the devil. We all do.’

In his inauguration speech Mr Biden said Americans should ‘stop the shouting and lower the temperature’ and ‘unity is the path forward’.