No, it’s over, he should’ve stuck with his first instinct.
The amount of cleanup happening from President Biden’s 60 Minutes interview on Sunday had to have set a record for the White House communications department.
Among the many proclamations that that to be walked back by Biden’s staff, perhaps none were as annoying for Democrats as hearing the president say that the Covid-19 pandemic was, officially, “over.” While it’s basically true, the pandemic phase is over and most sane people returned to normal life a long time ago, there are still ways in which Covid is being used for control and governing.
Take Biden’s student loan forgiveness scheme, for example. It’s predicated on using emergency power granted during the height of Covid to intended to pause student loan repayment and eliminate some interest. Biden plans to use to forgive tens of thousands of dollars in student loan debt for millions of borrowoers. Without such an “emergency” declaration, will Biden’s plan stand up in court?
It then comes as no surprise that Biden offered a mea culpa to his fellow authoritarians still enjoying Covid power that they don’t yet plan to relinquish:
President Biden on Tuesday sought to clarify his comments from days earlier that the coronavirus pandemic “is over,” telling guests at a fundraiser that the COVID-19 situation is not as bad as it was.
Biden attended a Democratic National Committee fundraiser in New York City ahead of his speech Wednesday to the United Nations General Assembly. At one point, speaking about efforts on the pandemic, Biden referenced his comments to Scott Pelley of CBS last week in which he said the pandemic was “over.”
Biden acknowledged he was “criticized” for the remarks, adding, “But it basically is not where it was.”
The president also urged those in attendance to get their booster shots if they have not already.
Biden said something Democratic politicians are not allowed to say even if science and reality supports the statement.
As other reports explain, Biden’s statement may put some of his own agenda and plans in jeopardy:
The remarks suggesting that the emergency has ended may jeopardize twin goals of the Biden administration on student debt relief and coronavirus aid.
The White House has struggled to secure more funding for COVID-19 testing and vaccines due to staunch Republican opposition. Its efforts to obtain at least $22 billion in extra coronavirus aid has been stonewalled for over six months, and it’s not likely to be included in a short-term funding bill to be passed by the end of September meant to keep the government open until December.
This is what happens when Biden goes off-script for more than 30 seconds.
