The White House defended President Biden’s weekend trips home to Delaware, saying his use of Air Force One put him in a unique category amid continuing questions about whether he is setting a good example as health officials warn people not to travel during the pandemic.
The president spent last weekend at his family home in Wilmington, where he attended church on Sunday.
He traveled from Joint Base Andrews outside Washington on Saturday afternoon, along with dozens of secret service agents, staff, and journalists before returning on Monday morning.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention currently warns against all travel in order to protect against the spread of COVID-19.
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“Travel increases your chance of spreading and getting COVID-19,” according to the center. “CDC recommends that you do not travel at this time. Delay travel and stay home to protect yourself and others from COVID-19.”
The president has been vaccinated against the coronavirus, but many of the people in his entourage are unlikely to be in priority groups for inoculation. Even if some have gotten all the required jabs, there is no settled science on whether fully vaccinated humans can still carry and give COVID-19 to others, meaning the president's large footprint is a risk wherever it goes.
But during her daily briefing, White House press secretary Jen Psaki was asked whether the president should be setting a better example.
“Well, the president lives in Wilmington. It’s his home. That’s where he’s lived for many, many years,” she said.
“As you know, as any president of the United States does, he takes a private airplane called Air Force One to travel there," Psaki said. “That is, of course, unique from most Americans, but most Americans would also see that as a unique circumstance.”
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Some of the questions may be eased when the CDC publishes guidelines for vaccinated people. They are expected to include relaxation of restrictions on travel as well as allowing small gatherings indoors for people who have been immunized.
