President Joe Biden cracked a joke about the amount of time he spends with Dr. Anthony Fauci amid the COVID-19 pandemic during remarks on new steps his administration is taking ahead of a potential winter surge of new cases.
During an event at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) on Thursday, Biden said, “In February I came out here to the National Institutes of Health and to our vaccine research center to thank all of you — the world-class doctors, scientists, researchers — for the incredible work you’ve done during the pandemic developing vaccines, saving lives, giving us hope. Also, continuing to give me advice on developments as they occur.”
“I’ve seen more of Dr. Fauci than I have my wife. We kid each other…’Who’s president? Fauci,”” Biden joked.
He added, “But all kidding aside, I sincerely mean it.”
Watch the video below:
PRES. BIDEN: "I’ve seen more of Dr. Fauci than I have my wife…Who's President? Fauci! But all kidding aside, I sincerely mean it." pic.twitter.com/2fnXgH3kH2
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) December 2, 2021
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) shared a the video and wrote, “You can say that again. It’s the Fauci-Harris administration.”
You can say that again. It’s the Fauci-Harris administration https://t.co/UIGtC7FOGe
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) December 2, 2021
Biden’s trip to the NIH comes after the discovery of the Omicron variant.
During the same remarks, the president noted a poll that found that 30% of Americans who previously said “under no circumstances” would they take the vaccine, now say they will get vaccinated because of the new variant.
“I hope that’s true,” Biden said.
Biden also announced new steps to address the variant, including new testing requirements for international travelers, requiring private insurance companies to cover the costs of at-home coronavirus tests, and opening “hundreds of family vaccination clinics” to provide vaccinations and boosters to all eligible Americans.
