Media spins Joe Biden’s temper as a good thing
Jack Elbaum
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An 80-year-old president who regularly says things that don’t make sense and is unable to control his temper may not be the best choice to run the most powerful country in the world. But that has not stopped some in the media from working overtime to try and spin these faults into evidence of presidential competence.
On Monday, Axios reported that while “in public, President Biden likes to whisper to make a point,” in private he “has such a quick-trigger temper that some aides try to avoid meeting alone with him.” He lashes out at staff, reportedly yelling “‘God dammit, how the f*** don’t you know this?!’ ‘Don’t f****** bullsh** me!’ and ‘Get the f*** out of here!’ — according to current and former Biden aides who have witnessed and been on the receiving end of such outbursts.”
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This sounds pretty concerning. But don’t worry, says Axios, because this is all just a sign of how attentive and with it Biden is. After all, “Being yelled at by the president has become an internal initiation ceremony in this White House, aides say — if Biden doesn’t yell at you, it could be a sign he doesn’t respect you.” Ah, yes, it’s a sign of respect you see. Moreover, reportedly, the “temper comes in the form of angry interrogations rather than erratic tantrums,” which Axios implies may just be driven by his “policy-driven” process.
As Biden says: Come on, man.
Much of the Axios article is in fact good reporting. But author Alex Thompson just could not keep himself from framing the fact Biden has a bad temper within a larger narrative of him having “high expectations” for his staff and being a uniquely competent boss. Never mind the fact this idea is undercut by there being no reports of Biden having a bad temper since his 1987 presidential campaign (and also that those episodes were not in private, as they are now).
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Axios’s framing here should not be surprising, though, as the lengths too much of the media will go to cover for President Biden know no bounds. But it is unfortunate nonetheless not only because the media is tasked with holding those in power to account — a crucial responsibility often abdicated — but also because it is hard to believe there would be similar coverage for a Republican president in the same position.
As each day passes, there become ever more questions about Biden’s fitness for office. But with a press eager to paint him as a commander-in-chief that is quite sympathetic and personable, yet also firm and competent, it is up to the American people to see through the spin and believe their own eyes.
Jack Elbaum is a summer 2023 Washington Examiner fellow.