It’s ‘angry Joe’, not ‘sleepy Joe’ – don’t be fooled by Biden’s ‘nice guy’ image

What do reports of the US president’s temper tantrums suggest about angry men in politics, asks John Rentoul

President Biden’s rumoured temper tantrums may hinder his quest for re-election (AP)

One of the worst-kept secrets of Washington is that Joe Biden has a short fuse. According to Alex Thompson, who is writing a book on the president, “behind closed doors, Biden has such a quick-trigger temper that some aides try to avoid meeting alone with him”.

The president is prone to shouting and swearing at staff, and “there is occasionally a menacing and humiliating tone to his diatribes”, Thompson said.

Should we be surprised that Biden’s character in private is more aggressive than the genial geriatric persona he puts out? There have been hints of a sharper side to Biden’s personality in previous books about him. As one of the longest-serving politicians in the world – he was senator for Delaware at the age of 30 in 1973 – he has been reported and written about more than most.