WHITE HOUSE: BIDEN’S ‘NEANDERTHAL’ REMARK REFLECTED ‘FRUSTRATION’
WASHINGTON — The White House said Thursday that President Joe Biden was expressing his “frustration and exasperation” when he said Republican governors lifting mask mandates and other virus measures were “Neanderthal” thinking.
Press secretary Jen Psaki said that with more than 500,000 U.S. lives lost and after a year in which all Americans have sacrificed, “it’s imperative that people listen across the country, whether they live in a red state or a blue state, to the guidance of public health experts.”
Psaki said Biden would continue to make outreach to Republican governors who disagree with him, “But he believes that if we’re going to get this pandemic under control, we need to follow public health guidelines.”
Psaki noted Biden has asked Americans to diligently wear masks for his first 100 days in office while vaccinations ramp up. She said: “Sixty more days. That’s what he’s asking and he’s certainly hopeful that businesses and people across the country will continue to do that.”
This week, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s repeal of most COVID-19 restrictions — saying it was “time to open Texas 100%” — reverberated across the state and to the White House.
Businesses in Texas shed rules, city leaders plotted new safeguards and the state’s 5 million schoolchildren largely remained under orders to keep wearing masks, at least for now. The pushback to Abbott’s decision included one of his own pandemic advisers, who said he was not consulted ahead of time.
Texas has another week before the mandates end, but what daily life will look like after that remains unsettled after Abbott made the state the largest in the U.S. to no longer require masks, which health experts say is among the most effective ways to curb the spread of the virus.
Many states are easing restrictions on people and businesses, despite repeated warnings from health officials that the U.S. is risking another lethal wave. Biden on Wednesday had called out the Republican governors of Texas and Mississippi for lifting mask rules.
“We are on the cusp of being able to fundamentally change the nature of this disease,” the president said. “The last thing we need is Neanderthal thinking that in the meantime, everything’s fine, take off your mask, forget it. It still matters.”
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves snapped back on Twitter. “Mississippians don’t need handlers. As numbers drop, they can assess their choices and listen to experts,” he said. “I guess I just think we should trust Americans, not insult them.”
Abbott said “personal vigilance” among Texans remained essential but that mandates were no longer needed, emphasizing the increasing availability of vaccines.
Immediately after Abbott made his announcement Tuesday, the tiny Rogers school district about 80 miles north of Austin said its 850 students would no longer need to wear masks or undergo temperature checks. But by Wednesday morning, Supt. Joe Craig backpedaled, saying he needed to explain the ramifications to parents.