Joe Biden emphasized social distancing during his CNN town hall meeting on Thursday, but when he thought he was off camera, he violated his own rule.
Biden and moderator Anderson Cooper were positioned a significant distance apart on the outdoor stage in Moosic, Pensylvania.
As Cooper went to a break, the camera panned out to show the crowd, and Biden could be seen approaching Cooper – closer than six feet – and appeared to be close enough to whisper in his ear.
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During the town hall, Biden said he would fine Americans who do not wear a mask on federal property.
“I cannot mandate people wearing masks,” he said, acknowledging his previous call for a national mask mandate was unconstitutional.
“I would call every governor in the country into the White House; say, you should be putting mandates out. And if they don’t, I’d call the mayors in their towns, in their cities and say, put out mandates,” Biden said.
“I would like to see the governors enforce mask wearing, period. I can do that on federal property. As president, I will do that. On federal land, I’d have the authority,” he continued.
“If you’re on federal land, you must wear a mask. In a federal building, you must wear a mask. And we could have a fine for them not doing it. Look, this is about saving people’s lives. There’s no question that it saves people’s lives.”
Kyle Olson is a reporter for Breitbart News. He is also host of “The Kyle Olson Show,” syndicated on Michigan radio stations on Saturdays. Listen to segments on YouTube or download full podcast episodes. Follow him on Twitter, like him on Facebook, and follow him on Parler.