Now that Dr. Anthony Fauci, a medical adviser for the White House, has tested positive for COVID-19, it seems fair to ask when President Joe Biden last received a test for the virus.
But on Thursday, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre could not provide a date for when the president was last tested.
NBC News’ Peter Alexander noted, “The AP asked you, the first question out of the gate, was when the president was last tested. We just didn’t get an answer to that.”
Jean-Pierre insisted that she did provide an answer because there is a “regular cadence” for when Biden is tested.
When Alexander said he was confused because the White House used to share the dates Biden was tested, Jean-Pierre said, “Right now, I’m telling you he has a regular cadence. I just don’t have a date to share with you, but he does have a regular weekly cadence.”
“We will be transparent about that, but he does have a weekly cadence,” she added.
Watch the video below:
Karine Jean-Pierre can't even tell NBC's @PeterAlexander when President Biden was last tested for COVID and what his testing schedule is currently.
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) June 16, 2022
She's not using her notes and it's even worse than when she uses them (which is saying a lot) pic.twitter.com/aiVSj524kK
Alexander then asked if the press secretary would get a date and share it with reporters once the briefing was over.
“I’m not saying that. I’m telling you he has a weekly cadence,” she responded.
However, the NBC reporter suggested that was a change in how the White House addressed the issue.
“We have always said it’s a weekly cadence,” Jean-Pierre insisted.
She also shared that Biden usually is tested weekly for the virus, but sometimes it is more frequent due to travel or events.
Finally, Alexander said, “Please understand that we’re requesting to know as soon as you can.”
“I’m already telling you he gets…a weekly test,” Jean-Pierre responded.
Alexander shot back, “Our request continues.”
“And I’m telling you that he gets tested weekly,” she added.
Got it. Biden has a weekly cadence for testing. But it seems like for a president who is almost 80, it should be easy to have information about his last Covid test at hand, like the White House used to.
