President Joe Biden effectively sidestepped the sudden flip on masking guidance on Tuesday and Wednesday, surrendering his handling of the coronavirus pandemic to federal health officials.
The president ignored questions on Wednesday about the new guidance from the Centers of Disease Control (CDC) requiring Americans in some areas to wear masks indoors — even if fully vaccinated.
“I’m talking about ‘Made in America Today,'” he said shortly to reporters during a trip to Pennsylvania, dismissing questions about vaccine mandates.
The president also ignored shouted questions from reporters as he left the White House and returned home after the trip.
The new masking guidance, released on Tuesday, sent a shockwave across the country, but Biden’s communications team remained mostly silent.
Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre spoke to reporters briefly on the trip, punting questions to the CDC.
“We have said this all along. The science is the North Star. We have to listen to public health experts,” she said. “And, right now, again, we’re trying to make sure that we’re saving lives.”
The White House issued a statement in Biden’s name, punting the issue until Thursday.
“I hope all Americans who live in the areas covered by the CDC guidance will follow it,” part of Biden’s statement read.
Other than a grumpy comment blaming the unvaccinated for the ongoing pandemic on Tuesday, Biden has been silent for the last 48 hours, with no plans to address the country until 4:00 p.m. on Thursday.
The president is expected to announce Thursday a mandate for federal government employees to get the vaccine or submit themselves to regular testing, according to reports.
Biden’s team allowed federal health officials CDC Dr. Rochelle Walensky and Dr. Anthony Fauci to conduct multiple interviews to defend the new masking guidance — and try to explain the flip-flop on the need for fully vaccinated Americans to wear masks.
Meanwhile the president sought to switch attention to the economy.
U.S. President Joe Biden disembarks from Air Force One upon arrival at Lehigh Valley International Airport in Allentown, Pennsylvania, July 28, 2021, as he travels to speak on the economy. (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)
“Something has changed and what has changed in the virus,” Fauci argued on MSNGC on Wednesday. “The CDC hasn’t changed and the CDC hasn’t really flip-flopped at all.”
A fully empowered Fauci also defended the new masking advisories, sending the message that the unvaccinated were responsible.
“We would not be in this situation if we already had now the overwhelming proportion of the population vaccinated,” he claimed in a PBS interview.
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