Biden hires ‘Mr Fix It’ to reverse poll fortunes as popularity falters

JOE BIDEN has drafted in a multimillionaire former management consultant known as “Mr Fix It” as he seeks to turn around his crisis-hit White House.

Jeff Zients, 56, who will become Mr Biden’s new chief of staff next month, has been described as a “corporate management guru” and has a personal fortune put at between $79 million and $481million (£64million to £388million), by official disclosures.

News of the appointment came as Mr Biden’s approval rating sank to 40 per cent, near its lowest ever, just as he is poised to launch a re-election campaign.

As the top official running the White House day to day, Mr Zients will lead the response to impending Republican investigations of Mr Biden and his family, and the scandal over classified documents being found at the president’s home in Delaware.

That will allow Mr Biden’s other key advisers to focus on the attempt to get him re-elected for a second term.

Mr Zients earned his “Mr Fix It” nickname a decade ago when Barack Obama asked him to solve widespread problems with the website through which Obamacare was run. As an “internal consultant” at the White House, he also slashed red tape and wasteful spending.

Later, he was Mr Biden’s White House Covid response coordinator.

He was very low-key in the role and was criticised by Left-wing Democrats for prioritising the economy and trying to keep businesses open during virus surges. They claim the appointment of such a wealthy individual as chief of staff was a betrayal of Mr Biden’s “Scranton Joe” image.

Mr Zients previously worked at Bain & Company, the management consultancy, and made his fortune investing in healthcare businesses. He also served on the board of Facebook.

Jeff Hauser, director of the Revolving Door Project, which advocates for liberal appointments in the Biden administration, said: “Obviously, it’s disappointing [for us].

“Unfortunately, Zients is a veteran of private equity, rapacious health care providers, and Big Tech.”

Mr Zients will replace Ron Klain, who had been popular with the Left wing of the party.