White House defends Biden voting in person after scrutiny over Secret Service escort
‘The president has been voting in Delaware for decades. And this is something that was important to do,’ press secretary says
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.The White House has defended voting in person after President Joe Biden faced scrutiny for his decision to travel to Delaware to vote in the state’s primary elections.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked by a reporter why Mr Biden chose to travel to Delaware for the vote when he could’ve voted absentee or voted early when he previously visited his home state.
“I know there has been a lot of interest in this. So every American, as you know, has the sacred and constitutional right to vote. The president exercised that right along alongside other Delawareans last night. That's what you saw,” she said.
“The president has a very heavy schedule. He's the president of the United States. It worked out best for him to vote yesterday, to vote on Tuesday,” she added. “He thought it was important to exercise his constitutional right to vote ... and set an example by showing the importance of voting. He also had the opportunity to say hello to poll workers and thank them for their work and we know how under attack poll workers have been these past several years.”
She also said it’s “not unusual” for presidents to head home to vote in local elections.
“The president has been voting in Delaware for decades. And this is something that was important to do. He wasn't going to miss an opportunity to vote,” she said.
The comments come after extensive reporting on the short trip, which prompted criticism from some conservatives.
“Biden flew Air Force One to Delaware to vote in person yesterday for a state auditor race. He could have voted in person when he was there on Saturday but didn’t. He could have gotten an absentee ballot but didn’t. He chose to spend thousands of tax dollars instead this way,” Sean Spicer, the former Trump White House press secretary, tweeted.
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