President Joe Biden flubbed the number of vaccinated Americans as he took a victory lap at the White House over a positive jobs report on Friday.
“We have roughly 350 million people vaccinated in the United States and billions around the world,” Biden said. The U.S. population is estimated at over 331 million.
The White House later clarified that Biden meant 350 million doses of the vaccines have been administered, but not before the Republican National Committee and other administration critics tweeted out a video of the president misspeaking.
BIDEN SNAPS AT REPORTER WHO QUESTIONS MASK FLIP-FLOP
They were less outspoken about the jobs report. There have been some disappointing monthly numbers, which Republicans have blamed in part on additional unemployment benefits supported by congressional Democrats that are now set to expire.
The jobs survey captured economic reopening as vaccinations trended upward, but it didn’t reveal much about the impact of the renewed COVID-19 concerns since the delta variant emerged and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its mask guidance for fully vaccinated people.
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Biden has seen his job approval ratings take a hit with the resurgence of the virus. This has led federal authorities to look at additional ways to increase vaccination. The CDC also extended the eviction moratorium despite a warning from the Supreme Court that an act of Congress is required, citing the delta variant.
The president has said there will be no return to the business restrictions that were in place for most of the last year. He has cited the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan as a reason for the economic progress. White House press secretary Jen Psaki defended requests for additional federal spending on Friday and said that no final decision had been made on requesting an extension of the extra unemployment benefits.
