President Joe Biden walked back his comments about the COVID-19 pandemic being over, instead saying it is not as bad as it was.
Biden shared the remarks during a Democratic National Committee fundraiser in New York City ahead of his speech to the U.N. General Assembly.
Biden clarifies COVID comments: Pandemic "basically is not where it was" https://t.co/WwDk8OlEjI pic.twitter.com/FOL94bOIUh
— The Hill (@thehill) September 21, 2022
"The pandemic is over," he said during the event.
"We still have a problem with COVID. We're still doing a lotta work on it. It's — but the pandemic is over. if you notice, no one's wearing masks. Everybody seems to be in pretty good shape. And so I think it's changing. And I think this is a perfect example of it," he added.
President Biden on Tuesday sought to clarify his comments from days earlier that the coronavirus pandemic "is over," telling guests at a fundraiser that the COVID-19 situation is not as bad as it was. https://t.co/AH77go1yJV
— WNCT (@wnct9) September 21, 2022
The answer is frustrating for those who were glad to finally see the president say the pandemic was done earlier in the week.
Biden is likely playing cleanup to his own supporters, however, who also emphasize the many people each day still dying from the virus.