President Biden declared the COVID-19 pandemic “over” throughout an interview that aired Sunday evening — and instantly sparked a bitter backlash from progressives and liberal Democrats.
Biden repeatedly asserted that the pandemic was within the nation’s rear-view mirror whereas chatting with CBS’ “60 Minutes” on the Detroit Auto Present final week.
“The pandemic is over,” he stated.
“We nonetheless have an issue with COVID. We’re nonetheless doing a number of work on it. However the pandemic is over.”
Strolling by means of the Huntington Place conference middle, Biden additionally advised correspondent Scott Pelley, “If you happen to discover, nobody’s sporting masks.”
“Everyone appears to be in fairly fine condition, and so I feel it’s altering, and I feel it is a good instance of it.”
Progressive commentators used social media to lash out on the president over his remarks, with MSNBC host Medhi Hasan accusing Biden of mendacity to the American public.
“One of many (many) causes they’re not sporting masks is as a result of folks like Biden hold (falsely) telling them the pandemic is over,” Hasan tweeted.
Progressive Democratic Kentucky state Rep. Attica Scott expressed outrage that mainstream members of her occasion “hold taking part in these video games with our lives.”
“You don’t get to only declare a worldwide pandemic over, Mr. @POTUS,” Scott wrote.
Former Democratic Ohio state senator Nina Turner, a senior fellow on the progressive Institute on Race, Energy and Political Financial system, additionally rejected Biden’s assertion.
“The pandemic isn’t over,” Turner stated.
“We’re over the pandemic. The pandemic just isn’t over with us. Large distinction.”
Specialists additionally took Biden to process, with Dr. James Hamblin, a lecturer in public well being coverage at Yale College, saying that mask-wearing wasn’t an correct gauge of whether or not the lethal virus was nonetheless spreading.
“A pandemic isn’t like bootcut denims the place you go searching at what individuals are sporting and declare it over,” Hamblin tweeted.
Dr. Erif Feigl-Ding, an epidemiologist and former Harvard College school member, responded to Biden with an emphatic, “Heck no.”
“With all due respect, @JoeBiden — you’re flawed. Pandemic just isn’t over. Nearly 3,000 Individuals are dying from #COVID19 each single week,” he wrote.
“A weekly 9/11 is a really massive deal. Don’t even get me began on #LongCOVID—wreaking havoc on hundreds of thousands extra.”
Feigl-Ding additionally adopted up hours later, tweeting, “I’m nonetheless shaking my head at what Biden says. If he solely knew how a lot I caught my head out and sacrificed for him in 2020…”
Dr. Megan Ranney, dean of the Brown College Faculty of Public Well being, even used certainly one of Biden’s favourite phrases to rebut him.
“Is the pandemic DIFFERENT? Positive,” she wrote.
“However over?! With 400 deaths a day?! I name malarkey.”
Politico reported that Biden’s assertion wasn’t a part of his deliberate remarks and caught a number of of his personal well being officers abruptly, citing administration officers conversant in the matter.
Biden’s off-the-cuff feedback have continuously landed him in sizzling water throughout his greater than 50 years in politics and he acknowledged being a “gaffe machine” whereas operating for the White Home in 2018.
