President Biden’s chief spokeswoman deflected the question about the commander-in-chief’s unmasked appearance despite her own mandate Wednesday night – telling reporters she was “celebrating a historic day night” and who has “bigger issues to worry about”.
The answer from White House press secretary Jen Psaki came a day after Biden was spotted naked at Lincoln Memorial, hours after signing an executive order determining the use of masks on federal property.
“He was celebrating a night of a historic day in our country and he certainly signed the mask mandate because it is a way to send a message to the American public about the importance of wearing masks, how it can save tens of thousands of lives” . Psaki fumbled during a news conference on Thursday.
“We take a series of COVID precautions, as you know here, in terms of testing, social detachment, wearing a mask, as we do every day,” she added. “I don’t know if I have more for you than that.”
The newly inaugurated president and his family members were all seen without masks inside the Lincoln Memorial on Wednesday night, images from CSPAN and reporter tweets showed.
Psaki was pressured by Fox News reporter Peter Doocy about whether Biden was setting a “good example” for Americans by going without a mask in light of his new term.
“I think we have bigger questions to worry about right now,” she replied.
In November, then-President-elect Biden told Americans that it was their “patriotic duty” to limit the spread of the coronavirus at family Thanksgiving celebrations, asking them to “renounce so many traditions that we have long done this holiday”.
“I know how difficult it is to renounce family traditions. But it is very important. Our country is in the midst of a dramatic increase in cases, ”he said in November comments.
“We owe it to each other. It is literally our patriotic duty as Americans. It means wearing a mask, maintaining social distance, limiting the size of any group we belong to until we have a vaccine. These are the most effective tools to fight the virus ”, he continued at the time.
In a 17-minute speech before Thanksgiving, Biden insisted that “none of the steps we are asking people for is a political statement. Each is based on science. “
He said: “The federal government cannot do this alone. Each of us has a responsibility in our own lives to do what we can to slow the virus down. Every decision we make is important. “