‘I Don’t Think That Matters’ — White House Dismisses Questions About Where and When Joe Biden Was Infected with Coronavirus

The White House on Thursday dismissed questions about where and when doctors believed President Joe Biden was infected with the coronavirus, urging Americans to get vaccinated.

“Look, I don’t think that matters, right? I think what matters is we prepared for this moment,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said when asked by reporters about estimates from doctors about where and when the president could have been infected.

Jean-Pierre said it was more important than ever for Americans to get vaccinated and boosted with the vaccines.

“I think that’s what matters here is making sure that we continue to do the work and the good thing is that the president, again, has been vaccinated and double boosted,” she said.

Jean-Pierre spoke about the president’s health during a White House press briefing Thursday afternoon with White House COVID Coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha.

Jha confirmed that Biden experienced “some amount of fatigue” Wednesday evening and had “a bit of a restless night” before he tested positive Thursday morning. Officials could not pinpoint the exact moment he began experiencing symptoms of the virus.

“I cannot say exactly when that occurred,” Jean-Pierre said.

Both Dr. Jha and Jean-Pierre could not answer why Biden was not tested before the trip to Massachusetts, explaining only that the president’s testing schedule was between him and his personal physician.

Jean-Pierre added that the president appeared to be doing well during his trip to Massachusetts, boasting he delivered remarks in the heat on Thursday without any issue.

“He spoke for 20 minutes in 93-degree weather, it was incredibly hot,” she said. “He was feeling fine. Where most of us were looking for water and trying not to pass out.”

The White House also defended its decision to release a video of the president on social media speaking to the camera without a mask.

Jean-Pierre said that the cameraperson in the video wore an N-95 mask and was distanced from the president and filmed outdoors.

The president took off his mask, she explained, “so that the American people can see him and see the work that he’s doing.”

She said the president would continue to isolate in the residence of the White House and work until he got a negative test.

“The president can be president anywhere,” she said.