President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill were momentarily left standing in the cold on Inauguration Day after the front doors of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue weren't opened for them – a breach of protocol caused by the firing of the chief usher of the White House hours earlier.
With the world watching on, the 46th US President and his wife walked up the steps of their new home for the first time on Wednesday, as a small crowd of family members followed behind.
The couple posed for photos outside the large wooden doors of the North Portico, waiving to the crowd as a military band played ‘Hail to the Chief’ nearby.
They then embraced one another, before turning to venture on inside. But there was a problem: the doors didn’t open.
For an awkward but fleeting period of around 10 seconds, Biden stares puzzlingly at the door before turning back to shoot a confused look at his approaching family members.
Insurance Loans Mortgage Attorney Credit LawyerEventually the doors swing open, though it’s unclear whether Jill and Joe were forced to open them themselves, or whether someone on the inside finally notice the mistake.
It remains unclear exactly what caused the delay, though the firing of the chief usher of the White House, Timothy Harleth, likely had a part to play.
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With the world watching on, the 46th US President and his wife walked up the steps of their new home for the first time on Wednesday, with a small crowd of family members following behind
They then embraced one another, before hugging and turning to venture on inside, but the doors didn’t open
It remains unclear exactly what caused the delay, the firing of the chief usher of the White House, Timothy Harleth (shown right), likely had a part to play
Though the White House doors are typically opened by Marine guards, the chief usher is in charge of greeting the incoming president and his family, in addition to overseeing operations at the residence.
Insurance Loans Mortgage Attorney Credit LawyerHowever, Harleth wasn’t there to greet the Bidens when they arrived because he had been fired around five hours earlier.
Harleth, the Trumps’ chief usher and a former rooms manager of the Trump International Hotel in Washington, told the New York Times he was moving furniture on Inauguration Day
