President Joe Biden reportedly complained to friends that his staff "treated him like a toddler," according to a new book on the Biden administration.
"Rather than owning his failure, he fumed to his friends about how he was treated like a toddler. Was John Kennedy ever babied like that?" reads the new book, The Last Politician by Atlantic writer Franklin Foer. The incident was reportedly provoked by staffers at the White House who immediately walked back a comment Biden made in March 2022, when he said Russian president Vladimir Putin "cannot remain in power."
The book claims Biden "resented his aides for creating the impression that they had cleaned up his mess."
"The president’s point was that Putin cannot be allowed to exercise power over his neighbors or the region," the White House said after Biden made the remark about Putin. "He was not discussing Putin’s power in Russia, or regime change."
Foer also wrote that Biden, who made the comments on a trip to Warsaw, departed the visit "feeling sorry for himself."
The story is just the latest reported instance of Biden expressing resentment toward staffers in the West Wing.
This summer, Biden was reportedly lashed out at aides who suggested he maintain distance from his scandal-plagued son Hunter.
"Hands off my family" is how one source described to NBC News Biden's policy toward top aides.