Give the staffers in the White House a medal. They tried.
For much of the past week, Biden administration officials have tried to explain that the president did not really mean to say the COVID-19 pandemic is over.
Just when they probably thought they were done cleaning up his comments, President Joe Biden made clear he says exactly what he means.
“I mean this from the bottom of my heart. Those of you who know me, no one ever doubts I mean what I say. The problem is I sometimes say all that I mean,” he declared during an event on Friday.
Watch the video below:
Biden: "I mean this from the bottom of my heart. Those of you who know me, no one ever doubts I mean what I say, the problem is I sometimes say all that I mean." pic.twitter.com/YUR7e0lo52
— Washington Free Beacon (@FreeBeacon) September 23, 2022
During an interview with CBS News’ “60 Minutes,” the president said, “The pandemic is over. We still have a problem with Covid. We’re still doing a lot of work on it. But the pandemic is over.”
“If you notice, no one’s wearing masks. Everybody seems to be in pretty good shape. And so I think it’s changing. And I think this is a perfect example of it,” he added.
In case you missed it:
“The pandemic is over. We still have a problem with COVID. We’re still doing a lot of work on it. But the pandemic is over,” President Biden tells 60 Minutes in an interview in Detroit. https://t.co/7SixTE3OMT pic.twitter.com/s5fyjRpYuX
— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) September 19, 2022
After the interview, CNN published an article with the headline, “White House says Covid-19 policy unchanged despite Biden’s comments that the ‘pandemic is over.’
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was also asked about the president’s comments and whether the pandemic is over.
She responded, “Just to step back for a second, what we saw during that ’60 Minutes’ interview when he made those comments, he was walking through the Detroit car show, the halls of the Detroit car show, and he was looking around.”
“We have to remember that the last time they held that event was three years ago. Even as we’re talking about [the United Nations General Assembly], the president is going to speak shortly, as I just mentioned, that hasn’t been held in person for about three years as well. So we are in a different time. He’s been very consistent about that,” she continued.
WH @PressSec says Biden didn't actually mean the Covid pandemic is over despite saying it: "Just to step back for a second, when he made those comments, he was walking through the Detroit car show, the halls of the Detroit car show, he was looking around." pic.twitter.com/JUMzkkA1P8
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) September 21, 2022
If Biden really says what he means, then it would seem that he did mean to say the pandemic is over.
In which case, members of his administration should get on board with it and stop trying to change the meaning of what he said. Or does he not say what he means?