Inauguration Day: Joe Biden vows to fire staff if they ever disrespect a colleague

Joe Biden issued a stark warning while swearing in his Cabinet, vowing to fire members “on the spot” if they ever disrespect a colleague.

The running theme of Joe Biden’s presidential campaign, along with his pledge to restore the wounded “soul of America”, was his emphasis on the fact he would be a president for “all Americans”, not just those who voted for him.

“To overcome these challenges, to restore the soul and future of America requires so much more than words. It requires the most elusive of all things in a democracy – unity. Unity,” the 78-year-old said today, during his inaugural speech as leader of the United States.

“Today, on this January day, my whole soul is in this, bringing America together. Uniting our people. Uniting our nation. And I ask every American to join me in this cause.”

Mr Biden urged people to “treat each other with dignity and respect” — a message he then firmly enforced while virtually swearing in his Cabinet, issuing a stark threat to any staff who don’t heed his words.

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Watch Biden swear in his political appointees and issue a warning:

"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."pic.twitter.com/6ydnUXQf0d

— The Recount (@therecount) January 20, 2021

“If you’re ever working with me and I hear you treating another colleague with disrespect, talking down to someone, I will fire you on the spot,” he told the 100-plus staffers from the White House’s State Dining Room.

“On the spot. No ifs and buts.”

Mr Biden told new staff members he wanted them to treat each other with decency, something he said had “been missing in a big way the past four years”, with the toxic environment that pervaded the West Wing during the Trump administration.

“We have an obligation, but we also have a great privilege. Very few times does an individual get to do something that can fundamentally positively impact on other people’s lives, not only here but around the world,” Mr Biden said.

“People don’t work for us, we work for the people. I work for the people. They pay my salary. They pay your salary. They put their faith in you. I put my faith in you. And so we have an obligation.”

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President Joe Biden promised Americans that his administration will “master” the “rare and difficult hour” the US currently finds itself in. Picture: Patrick Semansky-Pool/Getty Images

On the campaign trail, Mr Biden also guaranteed his White House would “look like the country” – and on his first day, it’s a promise he’s taking steps toward upholding, assembling a historically diverse slate of top-level nominees.

While previous administrations have been largely white and male, if all of Mr Biden’s nominees are confirmed, his Cabinet will contain more women and people of colour than any in US history.

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Earlier in his first address as president, Mr Biden promised Americans that he, Vice President Kamala Harris and their administration would “rise to the occasion” during what he deemed a “winter of peril and significant possibilities”.

“We’ll master this rare and difficult hour. We will meet our obligations and pass along a new and better world to our children. I believe we must, I’m sure you do as well. I believe we will,” he said.

“And when we do, we’ll write the next great chapter in the history of the United States of America. The American story.”