White House walks back Biden comments on Covid pandemic being ‘over’ after Fauci and scientists hit back
Mr Biden is walking back remarks he made during an interview with CBS News’ 60 Minutes programme
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.President Joe Biden on Tuesday clarified his claim that the Covid-19 pandemic was “over” in remarks to a group of Democratic Party donors at a New York City fundraiser on the eve of his annual address to the United Nations General Assembly.
Mr Biden had declared that the pandemic had come to a close in an interview with CBS News’ 60 Minutes on Sunday. In the days since, he has come under fire from activists and medical experts, including his chief medical adviser Dr Anthony Fauci, who say downplaying the threat posed by Covid at this point writes off the concerns of persons with disabilities and others who are still vulnerable to harm from the coronavirus.
The president acknowledged the criticism when speaking to donors. He then added that what he meant to say was that the pandemic “basically is not where it was”.
In his comments to 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley, Mr Biden had tempered his declaration that the pandemic was “over” by noting that it was “still a problem” that his administration was still doing “a lot of work” on it.
But he said the lack of widespread mask wearing and the return of large events such as the annual Detroit Auto Show he was attending at the time shows how “everybody seems to be in pretty good shape”.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments