WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Joe Biden is reminding his federal appointees and staff that "we work for the people" and is calling on them to be "decent, honorable and smart."
Biden swore in nearly 1,000 federal appointees and staff in a virtual ceremony in the State Dining Room at the White House on Wednesday evening. He spoke from behind a lectern, while the appointees appeared at the event via video streams set up on a series of television screens.
Biden said that if any of his appointees treat a colleague with disrespect, he will fire them "on the spot." He said that mindset had been missing in President Donald Trump's White House.
The new president also told the group that "we have such an awful lot to do" and said that containing the pandemic and administering COVID-19 vaccines will be the "most consequential logistical thing that's ever been done in the United States."
He said he's "going to make mistakes" but promised during their swearing-in that he will "acknowledge them" when he does.
