WASHINGTON – It was the culmination of a transfer of power: President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden climbed the driveway to their new home on Wednesday, climbed the steps of the North Portico, waved to the crowd as a military band played “Hail to the Chief”, turned to enter – and came face to face with a closed door.
As the world watched and a small crowd of members of the Biden family appeared behind them, the first couple waited.
Should the president open the two large wooden doors himself? Did former President Donald J. Trump, who left eight hours earlier, lock him up outside?
Soon the doors opened and the Bidens entered. The embarrassing moment lasted only a few seconds – about 10 if you time it – but it did not go unnoticed in Washington.
“There was a protocol violation when the front doors were not kept open for the first family when they arrived at North Portico,” said Lea Berman, who served as the White House social secretary for President George W. Bush.
“The delay in opening the door puzzled me a little,” said Betty Monkman, who has been a White House curator for 30 years and helped oversee changes between previous administrations.
The breach turned out to be a small, but curious, disorder in the chaotic two and a half months between election day and inauguration day. Nothing was normal in the transition from the Trump administration to the Biden government, and handing over the White House to new occupants was no exception.
On the one hand, there was no chief porter to greet the Bidens when they arrived. Although it is not known exactly what caused the delay in the doors – which are usually opened by Navy guards – the chief White House janitor, who manages the residence, had been fired less than five hours earlier.
Timothy Harleth, the Trumps chief porter and former room manager at the Trump International Hotel in Washington, was busy changing furniture on Induction Day when he was told at 11:30 am that his services were no longer needed, people familiar with the process said .
The new president’s lawyer called the White House council on Wednesday, according to a person familiar with the process, and said the Bidens planned to bring in their own person. Harleth’s departure was first reported by CNN.
Mr. Harleth was chosen by Melania Trump in 2017, when he was first lady. His duties included dealing with personnel issues and overseeing budgets for the family’s residence.
“He was selected because of his impressive work history and management skills,” said Trump in 2017.
The work has traditionally been non-political, but Ms. Trump’s decision to hire a Trump Organization employee added partisanship to the role, although Mr. Harleth tried to frame his work there as a stop in a long career in the hospitality industry. The White House job was well paid – ex-chiefs say salaries reach $ 200,000 – but the days are long, especially if the early or early president; Mr. Trump was both. (Mr. Biden is not a morning person, say people familiar with his schedule.)
Since election day, Mr. Harleth has been in an untenable position: trying to begin preparations for a new resident in the White House, even if his occupant refused to concede that he would be leaving the place. Trump never met Biden at the White House, as is tradition. Mrs. Trump also never invited Dr. Biden to take a look at the residence before the day of the move.
Mark Meadows, the former White House chief of staff, was unhappy with Harleth for trying to send briefings about the residence to Biden’s transition team in November, people familiar with the process said. A Meadows spokesman did not respond to a request for comment. A spokesman for Dr. Biden also did not respond to a request for comment.
It is unclear who Dr. Biden will select to replace Mr. Harleth, although there are several deputy gatekeepers who are supposed to still be in office.
“It was an honor to serve as the main porter, a position whose loyalty is not to a specific president, but to the institution of the presidency,” Harleth said in a statement. “I am proud to have had the opportunity to lead the residence team to receive the first family that arrives with the greatest respect and dignity, not only for this administration, but for the future success of the position of president.”