President Joe Biden’s administration has struggled to meet the ambitious expectations of managing the coronavirus pandemic that the president set during his campaign.
During his campaign, Biden promised to implement several policies that he said at the time would help save lives. He frequently said that he would mandate mask-wearing and said during the 2020 presidential debate that “if we just wore these masks we could save 100,000 lives.”
“So folks, I will take care of this, I will end this, I will make sure we have a plan,” Biden added. However, the president appeared to contradict his promise to control the virus when he said Friday that “there is nothing we can do to change the trajectory of the pandemic in the next several months.” (RELATED: Biden Releases New Coronavirus Strategy — Here Are All The Executive Orders He Will Sign Thursday To Achieve His Goals)
Biden also touted his plan to vaccinate 100 million people in the first 100 days of his presidency and has recently promised to vaccinate 10 million Americans per week, cumulating in 300 million Americans being vaccinated by the end of the summer. The White House acknowledged Monday that there is “confusion” over the number of vaccines that are available, but blamed the issue on former president Donald Trump.
“The confusion around this issue — which we acknowledge there is some confusion — speaks to a larger problem, which is what we’re inheriting from the prior administration — which is much worse than we could have imagined,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said.
Associated Press White House reporter Zeke Miller asked Biden during a press conference if 100 million doses of the vaccine would be enough “based on where the US is right now.”
“When I announced it, you all said it’s not possible,” the president told Miller. “Come on, give me a break, man.”
The president appeared to contradict his earlier statements by signing an executive order to keep Trump’s travel bans on Europe and South America and added South Africa to the list. Biden called Trump’s travel ban on China “xenophobic” and “fear-mongering,” and suggested that travel bans on Europe were not effective.
“This is no time for Donald Trump’s record of hysterical xenophobia and fear-mongering to lead the way instead of science,” Biden said at a Jan. 31 rally after Trump’s travel ban was announced.
After President Trump implemented his travel ban from China on January 31, Joe Biden said in Iowa “this is no time for Donald Trump’s record of hysterical xenophobia and fear-mongering.” pic.twitter.com/gru4jsiCVf
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) June 1, 2020
“A wall will not stop the coronavirus,” Biden said in a March 12 tweet after Trump announced that nearly all travel from Europe would be banned. “Banning all travel from Europe — or any other part of the world — will not stop it. This disease could impact every nation and any person on the planet — and we need a plan to combat it.”
A wall will not stop the coronavirus.
Banning all travel from Europe — or any other part of the world — will not stop it.
This disease could impact every nation and any person on the planet — and we need a plan to combat it.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) March 13, 2020
In a direct response to Trump’s tweet touting his “very early decision” to implement a travel ban on China, Biden again accused the then-president of “xenophobic fear-mongering.”
Stop the xenophobic fear-mongering. Be honest. Take responsibility. Do your job. https://t.co/nQ5aLVrpyb
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) March 18, 2020
When questioned about Biden’s comments, Psaki said that it’s not a “fair articulation” to say that Biden called Trump’s travel bans xenophobic.
“[Biden] has supported steps, travel restrictions, in order to keep the American people safe, to ensure that we are getting the pandemic under control,” she said. “That’s been part of his policy.”