Psaki Attempts to Explain Biden's 'No Federal Solution' Remarks But Only Seems to Make Matters Worse
© REUTERS / EVELYN HOCKSTEIN
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On Tuesday, a short clip of US President Joe Biden saying there is no "federal solution" to the coronavirus pandemic went viral. Netizens immediately accused Biden of hypocrisy, given that during his presidential campaign, he claimed that in contrast with his predecessor, he had a plan to address the pandemic.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki on Wednesday addressed the backlash faced by President Biden over his claims that the coronavirus does not have a federal solution and should instead be resolved at the state level.
"Sometimes context and the full clip is important (or almost all the time)", Psaki tweeted, sharing a White House post with the full clip, in which Biden "reaffirmed the need for a strong partnership between Federal and State governments".
Sometimes context and the full clip is important (or almost all the time) https://t.co/CkY8u2aJm3
— Jen Psaki (@PressSec) December 28, 2021
After Biden's remarks on how there is no "federal solution" to the pandemic went viral, along with a shorter version of the clip, the president was immediately slammed by critics for "hypocrisy". Particularly, many netizens lashed out at the mask and vaccine mandates he has imposed in an attempt to tackle COVID-19, blasting them as "unconstitutional". Others recalled how Biden claimed that he had a plan to shut down the virus when he was campaigning for president in 2020.
Psaki's attempt to add context, however, did not appear to appease those who were outraged by Biden's remarks.
The context doesn’t make it any better
— #deMOCKracy (@BernieUpstateNY) December 28, 2021
If you’re having to contextualize and explain what the President is saying, it’s because you’ve lost our trust that he’s actually doing the right thing. That’s not on us, that’s on y’all.
— Zach (@GALawtender) December 28, 2021
Thanks that doesn’t change anything. Y’all aren’t doing a damn thing.
— 🦂💧💀🔮 🌈 (@InfernalWound) December 28, 2021
Great, now do this one: pic.twitter.com/xKJZTjID0H
— 🇺🇸Night "State Line Crosser” Wood ✞⚭⚓ (@Shteina_Gott) December 28, 2021
Full clips were also important during 2016-2020.
— Janis Thereault (@JThereault) December 28, 2021
Earlier, on Tuesday, Biden took to Twitter saying that his administration had nevertheless rolled out a federal plan to tackle the pandemic.
"My Administration has the back of every governor fighting COVID-19 in their state", the president said. "We're going to get through this by working together".
The presidential strategy for responding to the surge in Omicron cases appears to be focused on "adding vaccination and booster capacity, hospital equipment, staff, and more".
