Joe Biden was inaugurated as the 46th president at a ceremony at the US Capitol, following which the couple was given a military escort to their new home.
Following the pomp and ceremony of the inauguration, Biden and the new First Lady walked up the steps to the executive mansion.
The couple paused for the customary wave to waiting photographers and then turned to enter the White House but the Bidens were left awkwardly standing on the steps as the doors failed to open.
According to The National Journal, a well-placed official not associated with the incoming Biden team told the newspaper: “The Trumps sent the butlers home when they left so there would be no one to help the Bidens when they arrived.”
“So petty,” the official reportedly added.
White House chief usher Timothy Harleth was due to welcome the new President and First Lady, but he was fired a few hours before their arrival.
“Harleth was shown the door before the Bidens reached the door at the North Portico on Wednesday afternoon for their first official entrance as president and first lady,” the Journal reports.
“It’s a big protocol breach for the president to ever stand in front of a closed-door at the White House,” a veteran White House social expert told the outlet.
Biden’s entrance was a complete contrast to Trump’s first visit to the White House on his Inauguration day four years prior.
On January 20, 2017, Donald and Melania Trump were greeted by former president Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama, who posed for the photos with the couple before they entered the building together through open doors.