Earlier this week, after Biden told “60 Minutes” that the covid pandemic is over, I wrote:
Personally, I am looking forward to watching how Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre walks back Biden’s “60 Minutes” segment.
Karine did not disappoint.
JEAN-PIERRE: “So, just to step back for a second, what we saw during that interview, ’60 Minutes’ interview when he made those comments. He was walking through the Detroit car show, the halls of the Detroit car show, and he was looking around. We have to remember the last time that they held that event was three years ago. Even as we’re talking about UNGA, the president is going to speak shortly, as I just mentioned, we — has not been held in person for about three years as well. So, we are in a different time.”
If it is more manageable, then why continue with the “emergency orders” and vaccine mandates (for a vaccine that neither stops infection or transmission)?
The unsurprising walk-back of Biden’s pandemic statement is merely the latest example of the administration “clarifying” his off-the-cuff remarks.
White House officials quickly rushed to clarify his words, with one member of the administration noting that “the President’s comments do not mark a change in policy toward the administration’s handling of the virus, and there are no plans to lift the Public Health Emergency.”Biden’s words were also acknowledged by White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and Dr. Anthony Fauci….”What he really meant is that the very severe stage of the pandemic of having… 3,000 deaths a day — that stage is no longer present,” Fauci told Politico, adding that “people should not be cavalier that we’re out of the woods.”
However, this particular gaffe may be more brutal to walk-back than most. Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina (R) wants Biden to clarify his position on the status of the pandemic, suggesting the recent remark could complicate an upcoming push for $22.5 billion in emergency funding to sustain the fight against the virus.
“Despite Americans having largely returned to normal life, which you acknowledged when you noted that attendees at the Detroit Auto Show were not wearing masks, your administration continues to request un-offset emergency funding from Congress, enforce vaccine mandates, and maintain federal emergency declarations that cost taxpayers billions of dollars,” Mr. Burr wrote in a Monday letter.“Without a clear plan to wind down pandemic-era policies, the deficit will continue to balloon and the effectiveness of public health measures will wane as the American people continue to be confused by mixed messages and distrust of federal officials.”
I assert that anyone willing to fund more covid emergency measures is a pandemic-end-denier. And, to wrap it up, I will add Karine’s “clarification” of Biden’s remark as another one of my covid predictions that have come true.
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