During the 2020 presidential election, then-candidate Joe Biden said he would shut the country down again if health officials recommended it.
"I would shut it down," Biden said.
After backlash, he pledged he wouldn't shut the country down if he were to become president.
I'm not going to shut down the country.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) October 30, 2020
I'm not going to shut down the economy.
I'm going to shut down the virus.
But during a briefing at the White House Thursday, Deputy White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre indicated lockdowns are on the table.
"President Biden says that we are not returning to lockdowns, shutdowns, and school closures, but he also once said that we didn't have to wear masks anymore once we were vaccinated. So, why should Americans trust him now?" Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy asked.
"Well, because we listen to the scientists; we listen to the experts. This is a public health situation. This is not about politics at all. This is about saving lives. And this is what the president is all about. He wants to make sure that we are saving lives. If you look at, Peter, the last six months, that's what he's done every day. And you see that in the numbers. Now we're at a point where we have to double down and make it very, very clear to people that we can't, we can't let the pandemic win. We have to continue to fight," Jean-Pierre responded.
"So if you're listening to the science, if scientists come to you at some point down the line and say, 'It is our opinion that there should be shutdowns and there should be school closures,' you would do that?" Doocy followed up.
"We listen to like I said, we listen to the CDC and the experts and their guidance," she said. "The CDC is a body that is very well respected. And we follow, again, we follow their guidance."
In other words, if CDC Director Rochelle Walensky and Dr. Anthony Fauci recommend lockdowns, Biden will take their advice.