President Joe Biden is seen going around a platform, maskless, after speaking, according to a YouTube video recorded Feb. 4 and tweeted by RNC research, which contradicts his own often-repeated mask guidance.
Everyone else on stage was wearing a mask, so it’s possible that Biden simply forgot to put his back on. It’s not unexpected that Biden would forget, given his proclivity for forgetting things.
A maskless Biden strolls around the stage, shaking hands and speaking to others in close proximity.
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) February 4, 2022
Biden has repeatedly called wearing a mask "a patriotic duty." pic.twitter.com/Eq0d09B9Dj
On Friday, Biden spoke during the signing of an executive order protecting labor rights, and he was joined on stage by several union employees and officials, as well as Vice President Kamala Harris.
The president did not wear a mask for more than a minute as he walked around the stage, gladhanding the other attendees. Despite the fact that they were all wearing masks, no one corrected him or offered him one.
The White House broadcasted an official video of Biden without his mask, although it was unclear how many people actually watched it.
While Biden’s actions did not help his image, most people are no longer afraid of COVID-19 and are not taking the same measures they were a few months ago.
For several weeks, the omicron variety has been declining, and new occurrences of the virus are currently less than half of what they were in late January. With tens of millions of Americans contracting omicron during its peak, most individuals have understood that they can’t really avoid contracting such an infectious variety, similar to the danger of obtaining influenza.
Whether Biden wants to admit it or not, most Americans are sick of the epidemic, and his maskless stage antics are proof that he is, too.
