Tipsheet

Biden Slammed for Attacking GOP Governors on Mask Mandates Instead of Providing Updates on Afghanistan

Madeline Leesman
Madeline Leesman  |  August 19, 2021 11:15 AM

On Wednesday, several lawmakers and the like vilified President Biden for addressing the nation to attack Republican governors for not enforcing mask mandates in schools in the midst of our disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan.

In his speech on Wednesday, Biden said "[u]nfortunately, as we've seen throughout this pandemic, some politicians are trying to turn public safety measures — that is children wearing masks in school — into political disputes for their own political gain." He continued, "[s]ome are even trying to take power away from local educators by banning masks in school."

As Spencer reported, these comments were clearly pointed at Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R), both of whom have asserted their authority to prohibit statewide mask mandates. Where Biden drastically fell short was when he claimed that masks were "banned" in schools – masks themselves are not banned, just mask mandates.

To be clear: Biden's accusation, apart from being a massive misfire, is false. Although he didn't muster the fortitude to name names, it's clear he was referring to states such as Florida and Texas, where Governors Ron DeSantis and Greg Abbott, respectively, introduced measures to prohibit mask mandates. 

No, they didn't ban masks in school as the President falsely claimed. They banned masks from being mandated in order to allow individuals to choose best how to protect themselves and their families. Any parent or student can still choose to wear masks at school. But again, the truth is apparently problematic to Biden's narrative. 

Following his false smears against Republican governors, Biden outlined his administration's new decision to push booster shots for fully vaccinated individuals and additional mandates for certain healthcare workers.

Apart from being a disingenuous attempt to direct the press away from his mishandling of the situation in Afghanistan, Biden shows where his administration's priorities lie — not with American lives in Afghanistan but with pushing his administration's COVID mission.

Several figures in the political world, including lawmakers South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) and Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), took to Twitter to point out Biden's audacity to attack lawmakers in our country while Afghanistan is currently in shambles due to his hasty, uncoordinated exit.

DeSantis took it a step further, ripping into Biden in a segment aired on Fox News. 

"He is obsessed, while you have all the stuff going on with Afghanistan, obviously all the stuff at the southern border [...] one of the biggest border disasters in the history of our country, inflation, gas prices...and what does he do? He is obsessed with having the government force kindergartners to wear masks all day in school," DeSantis said on-air.

DeSantis mentioned Biden's hypocrisy on the border, one that should be noted, as our porous border has allowed an estimated 150,000+ migrants into the United States each month, many of which are not tested for COVID-19 before granted entrance. "Where are your priorities at that you're so obsessed with this issue and so obsessed with taking away parents rights and you're letting Afghanistan burn, our border burn, and so many other things in our country fall to pieces?"