On Friday morning, a reporter questioned Joe Biden about his voice.
“Your voice sounds a little different,” the reporter noted. “Are you okay?”
“I’m okay,” Biden insisted. “I have a test every day to see — a COVID test. I — they check me for all the strains.”
Biden then went on to say that he had caught a cold from his grandson.
However, Jen Psaki had to admit the truth at a press briefing later that day: Biden isn’t tested for COVID daily.
“In the President’s remarks earlier today, when he was asked about his cold, he said that he was te- — he is being tested daily for COVID-19. My understanding was that it was done with less frequency [than] that. I know Dr. O’Connor said that he was tested three times this week, but is there a change in protocol where he is going to be tested daily?” asked a reporter. “And what kind of test is he getting: antigen or PCR test?”
Rather than give a straight answer, Psaki prevaricated in an attempt to avoid telling the truth. “Yeah, I think we just put out some details from Doc O’Connor that outlines how many times he’s been tested and, I believe, the kind of tests that he received,” Psaki said, dodging the question. “He received those tests because he had a cold, which would be considered a symptom and — but it’s not a change in protocol.”
“And so he is not going to be tested daily?” the reporter persevered.
“No,” Psaki said.
When asked if Biden misspoke, Psaki avoided answering that question, too, by bragging about the administration’s transparency.
But she wasn’t done answering questions on the subject.
“You said earlier that the reason he had these tests was because he was showing symptoms,” another reporter asked later. “So, he gets tested though when he’s not showing symptoms, correct?”
“Correct, yes. On a regular basis, not as frequently,” Psaki explained.
“So, three times this week was because he was showing symptoms. On other weeks, it would be less than the three times this week.”
“Yes. Exactly. Exactly.”
So, at most, Biden is tested three times a week, but that’s only while he’s experiencing cold symptoms. Usually, it’s less. How much less? Psaki didn’t say, but once a week is probably a good guess. In that case, how exactly did Biden come up with the “daily” frequency? Was he lying to make his denial of having COVID sound more legitimate, or does he just not have a good sense of the days of the week anymore? I can’t decide.
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