White House officials did not say when Biden would make his first domestic trip, but said that a typical presidential travel schedule was suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic. “Certainly, your preference would be to take a plane and fly around the country, but that is not the stage we are currently planning,” said White House press secretary Jen Psaki during a news conference last month.
Other senior government officials insisted that Biden was not grounded and would travel to the country soon, pointing to the fact that he made two trips to Georgia safely during the campaign transition for Democratic Senate candidates.
Presidential travel is expensive and time-consuming, but it is also essential for the job, said former White House officials.
“It is essential that people feel their presence and be aware of the fact that the president has taken the time to get to where they are,” said Podesta. “One of the things behind the deep divisions in the country is the feeling of people: ‘You forgot about me’. Showing changes this dynamic. “
Podesta said it would be essential for Biden to travel after speaking at a joint Congressional session this month, even if it meant taking on some health risks. “He is going to present a lot of ideas about what needs to be built and has to go to some places where these things are going to be built,” he said.
But due to the pandemic and the country’s fragile political situation, Michael Beschloss, the presidential historian, said that staying in Washington more often may work better for Biden.
“After the assassination of John Kennedy, the country was so agitated that the new president, Lyndon Johnson, pledged not to travel abroad for a period of time,” he said. “Although for different reasons, Biden’s stay near the White House reminded me of that. I believe that now, seeing Biden in the State Dining Room, announcing how he is dealing with one supreme problem after another, is more comforting than it would be to see him on the road, in the middle of a pandemic, trying to find a crowd to speak to. “
Biden, however, may not agree after getting on the plane.