White House Morale Plummets As Biden Withholds Traditional Departure Pictures

For years, it has been tradition for White House staffers to receive a photo with the president when they depart the administration as a small but meaningful token of gratitude from the leader of the free world. But according to a report from Politico Playbook, that tradition has been interrupted in recent months, as Biden has cancelled the photos for departing staff.

In an email to White House employees, the Office of Management and Administration’s employee engagement team claimed staff would receive their photos on a “rolling basis” over the next couple of months, but with no additional guests allowed in the photos. Historically, staffers’ families were invited to join in the photo, often traveling from across the country to Washington, D.C., specifically for the occasion. This has now been scrapped, leaving many employees feeling slighted.

The change has created a rift, with some staffers upset that they were deprived of the opportunity to share this symbolic moment with their loved ones, while others expressed frustration over the unclear communication surrounding the photos in general.

The situation has become even more tense as senior White House staffers find themselves frustrated by the fact that junior officials, including interns and staff assistants, have already received their departure photos while they have not.

“It makes me annoyed that I’m even this annoyed, but it’s the principle of the matter and a coveted White House experience to get a departure photo,” one former official texted. “Like why did I see an intern turned staff assistant get a photo before me?”

In response to the mounting frustration, some staffers are reportedly considering launching a petition to ensure that senior staff are given the proper recognition with their own departure photos. The desire for recognition among long-serving employees, who may have worked with Biden since the early days of his presidential campaign, underscores the sense of loyalty and personal investment many have in their work — as well as the lack of recognition for their tenure.

As one former official wrote in a message obtained by Politico Playbook, the staff who have been with Biden through thick and thin—through the highs of campaign victories and the lows of personal and political tragedy—feel they deserve more than an email with vague promises of a photo down the line.

“These are the staffers who stood with Biden since Day 1, many since the lowest ebbs of the campaign,” the message reads. “The staffers who gave everything to this President, who missed anniversaries, birthdays, their own doctor’s appointments, knowing democracy itself was on the line, deserve at the very least a proper goodbye from the man who says he owes them everything.”