Biden has ‘bigger problems’ than mask warrant: press secretary

President Biden’s top spokeswoman hijacked a question about the Commander-in-Chief’s maskless appearance despite his own tenure on Wednesday night – telling reporters he was “celebrating an evening of a historic day” and had “Bigger problems to fear”.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki’s response came a day after Biden was spotted face to face at the Lincoln Memorial, hours after an executive order was signed requiring the use of masks on the property federal.

“He was celebrating an evening 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 lives. tens of thousands of lives ”. Psaki fumbled during a press briefing on Thursday.

“We are taking a number of COVID precautions as you know here in terms of testing, social distancing, wearing masks, like we do every day,” she added. “I don’t know if I have more for you than that.

The newly inaugurated president and members of his family were all seen maskless inside the Lincoln Memorial on Wednesday evening, footage from CSPAN and journalists’ tweets showed.

Psaki was pressed by Fox News reporter Peter Doocy on whether Biden was setting a “good example” for Americans by going unmasked in light of his new tenure.

“I think we have bigger issues to worry about right now,” she replied.

In November, then-President-elect Biden told Americans it was their “patriotic duty” to limit the spread of the coronavirus during their family’s Thanksgiving celebrations, asking them to “give up so many traditions that we have long celebrated ”.

“I know how difficult it is to give up family traditions. But it is so important. Our country is in the midst of a dramatic surge in cases, ”he said in the November remarks.

“We owe it to each other. It is literally our patriotic duty as Americans. It means wearing a mask, keeping a social distance, limiting the size of any group we are in until we have a vaccine. These are the most effective tools to fight against the virus, ”he continued at the time.

In a 17-minute speech before Thanksgiving, Biden insisted that “none of these actions that we are asking people to take are political statements. Each is based on science. “

He said, “The federal government cannot do this alone. Each of us has a responsibility in our own life to do what we can to slow the virus down. Every decision we take into account. “