President Joe Biden wandered out of the Medal of Honor ceremony in an effort to avoid contact with attendees after potentially being exposed to COVID-19, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Wednesday.
After awarding the Medal of Honor on Tuesday, Biden appeared to wander off stage and abruptly leave the ceremony. Jean-Pierre said the White House planned to have the president leave the ceremony once there was a pause in events in an effort to minimize the potential spread of COVID-19. (RELATED: Email Shows Fauci Privately Acknowledged Gain-Of-Function Research At Wuhan Lab)
“The president took off his mask, as I said he would, to deliver incredibly powerful remarks about this Captain, Capt. [Larry] Taylor and what he did in service to our nation, and he wanted to honor the captain,” Jean-Pierre told reporters. “And for a brief time afterwards he also did have his mask on, as you just laid out. And he left as planned, as it was planned he left when there was a pause in the program in order to minimize his close contact with attendees who were about to participate in a reception.”
“You all reported that. You noticed that he left when there was a pause in the program because again he wanted to minimize his impact on folks who were there,” Jean-Pierre said during the briefing.
KJP Claims Biden Walked Out of Medal Of Honor Ceremony In Order To ‘Minimize His Close Contact With Attendees.’
Joe Biden had already tested negative for COVID pic.twitter.com/ubJcs5Lezl
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) September 6, 2023
First Lady Jill Biden tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday after the Bidens traveled to Delaware, Florida and Philadelphia over Labor Day weekend. Biden has been routinely tested for COVID-19, and Jean-Pierre said during a Tuesday briefing the president would be wearing a mask when around other individuals, removing it only when properly distanced from others.
Biden and Capt. Taylor walked into the Tuesday ceremony with masks on, though shortly after, both removed their masks for a period of time during the commemoration. Neither Biden nor Capt. Taylor had a mask on while the president placed the Medal of Honor around the recipient’s neck.
In all fairness, his ice cream was melting… pic.twitter.com/ds0sQ2COUL
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) September 6, 2023
“I also would want to add that before the event started the president spent a good amount of time with Captain Taylor and his family, and everyone was masked because he wanted to spend that quality, important time hearing from this hero, hearing his stories and really thanking him one-on-one with his family around him,” Jean-Pierre said on Tuesday.