(WASHINGTON) Joe Biden came under fire this week for appearing without a mask after his wife, Jill, tested positive for the coronavirus. Rather than keep a low profile, the octogenarian president did so again on Wednesday, even displaying a certain zeal for breaking the rules he was supposed to follow.
A black mask on the nose, then in the pocket: The day before, the American leader’s position during the medal ceremony raised many questions.
“Hypocrisy” and “unnamed disrespect”… The president, who is running for re-election in 2024, immediately received a barrage of criticism from the more right-wing media, accusing him of following “double standards”.
Because his aides had promised just a few hours earlier that the Democrat would scrupulously respect the directives of the health authorities regarding the wearing of masks – much criticized by Republicans.
“green lights”
But on Wednesday, the Democrat played the same score again. He announced, waving a black mask before giving a speech about an agreement between longshoremen, that he “did a test today,” explaining that “all the lights (were) green.”
“But they keep telling me I have to keep wearing it because you have to wait ten days or something,” he added.
And she slips off without a touch of sarcasm: “But don’t tell them I wasn’t wearing it when I walked in, okay? »
Joe Biden, who was already infected with COVID-19 in 2022, is scheduled to travel to India soon for the G20 summit in New Delhi and his travel plans remain unchanged.
And the Democrat, who is well aware that the restrictions associated with this virus are becoming less popular in America, continues to praise the path the country has taken compared to the darkest hours of the pandemic.
Is there a risk of underestimating the recent increase in hospitalizations related to COVID-19?
turn the page
After being bombarded with questions on the matter, a White House spokeswoman reached out during her daily press conference on Wednesday.
“The president is doing everything he can, of course, in agreement with his doctor, and therefore he respects the directives of the health authorities,” Karine Jean-Pierre said.
She confirmed that the Democratic leader only took off his mask on Tuesday “to make incredibly strong statements about this captain” who decorated him.
Wasn’t the president’s open behavior a message to Americans to make them understand that the darkest days of the pandemic are over?
The US government has already publicly turned the page on the pandemic by certifying the end of the national emergency associated with Covid-19.
“We are in a different phase,” Karine Jean-Pierre recalls.
“Total coffee aficionado. Travel buff. Music ninja. Bacon nerd. Beeraholic.”
