President Joe Biden shook hands with people without wearing a mask Friday in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, despite previously calling indoor masking a “patriotic duty.”
Following his remarks Friday, Biden can be seen on video walking away from the podium maskless as he approaches members of the crowd to greet them. Since his election, Biden has made similar comments about wearing masks as a “patriotic duty.” (RELATED: Maskless Biden Hacks a Cough Into His Hand, Then Greets People With A Handshake)
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In an April 2021 interview commemorating his 100 days in office, Biden told NBC’s “Today Show” he would continue wearing masks even outside despite then newly released guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) saying vaccinated people can remove masks outside, according to Daily Mail. In May 2021, the CDC said vaccinated people no longer had to wear masks indoors, but later changed guidelines due to the spread of Delta and Omicron variants, according to the New York Post.
In prepared remarks Jan. 13, Biden told reporters, “Please, please wear the mask. As I’ve said in the last two years, please wear a mask. I think it’s part of your patriotic duty. It’s not that comfortable. It’s a pain in the neck,” according to the New York Post.
The president headed to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to visit Carnegie Mellon University’s Mill 19, a research and development hub incorporated into the bipartisan infrastructure