Biden ‘cavalier and selfish’ in final weeks in White House, angers Dems by ceding influence to Trump

Over the weekend, it was Trump, not Biden, who went to the reopening ceremony of Notre Dame in Paris, France, speaking to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as well as French President Emmanual Macron. All the while, Biden remained in Washington DC, per the Wall Street Journal. The move has angered some Democrats, who have spent years backing up Biden and left-wing media outlets' claim that Trump is a "threat to democracy."

Some top Democrats reportedly believe that Biden is giving up the opportunity to take shots at Trump nominations rhetorically as they think appointments, such as Kash Patel to head the FBI, are signals that Trump will seek the "retribution" that Democrats have warned about. Biden, however, has taken a more moderate approach in the transitional period.

“He’s been so cavalier and selfish about how he approaches the final weeks of the job," a White House official said, per Politico. Biden has taken on a low profile and has reportedly been making moves to merely manage the presidential transition and his legacy instead of helping the Democratic Party's future. One Democrat close to lawmakers put it bluntly, “There is no leadership coming from the White House."

Mike Ceraso, a former Bernie Sanders campaign staffer, told the outlet, “It’s just his strategy, even if folks agree or disagree with it: Kind of keeping his head down." He added, “I think both him and President Obama have looked at the transition period as not trying to make noise or trying to undermine the incoming administration."

According to the outlet, Biden has spoken a mere seven words to the White House press pool traveling with him and has not yet scheduled a press conference, usually done post-election. Former Presidents Barack Obama as well as George W. Bush both did so as they left office.

Andrew Bates, the Biden White House spokesman, has defended the lame-duck president's actions, saying Biden is "making every day of this term count," and added that he is "leading by example for the sake of American democracy, honoring his campaign promise to respect the will of the voters and provide an orderly transition.”

Another White House official spoke of the attitude that Democrats around Washington DC have had, saying they just "want to get [Biden] and the people around him out the door," adding, "All he’s done in the last year has hurt the party every step of the way."