This week, President Biden refused to answer questions from reporters on when Americans would receive the free COVID-19 tests he promised last month.
“And when will Americans get those free COVID tests, sir?” a reporter asked Biden at the end of a press conference on Monday.
Biden ignored the question and just stared blankly.
REPORTER: “When will Americans get those free COVID tests, sir?”
BIDEN: *stares blankly ahead* pic.twitter.com/WBtJ0MtuPU
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) January 3, 2022
The next day, Biden told Americans desperate to get a COVID-19 test to just “Google” it.
“In the last two weeks, we’ve stood up federal testing sites all over the country, and we’re adding more each and every day,” Biden said.. “Google ‘COVID test near me’ — go there. Google — excuse me — ‘COVID test near me’ on Google to find the nearest site where you can get a test most often and free.”
As reported by the New York Post, “Moments later, Biden told Americans that ‘state and local governments and healthcare providers are passing out free at-home tests that you can pick up,’ but offered no guidance on obtaining them beyond ‘just find out where they are.’ He then ignored questions from the press about the status of his plan to mass-mail 500 million at-home rapid test kits.”
“What about the free COVID tests going out to Americans? When will they get those COVID tests?” one reporter asked Biden after he delivered remarks about a record-breaking surge in COVID-19 cases.
“People are still standing in line a mile away from the White House to get a COVID test,” the reporter added.
“Sir, when should we expect the tests?” another reporter shouted at the president.
The New York Post explained, “Biden kept silent as his press aides shooed reporters away from a stage decorated to resemble the White House in the next-door Eisenhower Executive Office Building. It was his only public event Tuesday.”
Last month, Biden announced he would be delivering 500 million COVID-19 tests to Americans’ homes in an effort to combat the highly contagious Omicron variant. Since then, there has been no word on the tests, but there has been record high COVID-19 cases – with the number of new daily cases breaking 1 million.
“We also need to do better with at-home testing. So, I’m announcing today: The federal government will purchase one half billion — that’s not million; billion with a ‘B’ — additional at-home rapid tests, with deliveries starting in January,” Biden said last month. “We’ll be getting these tests to Americans for free. And we’ll have websites where you can get them delivered to your home.”
“We have arranged for it to be easier for you to find a free COVID testing site near you on Google. Just enter ‘COVID test near me’ in the Google search bar and you can find a number of different locations nearby where you can get tested,” he added. “And we’re going to continue to use the Defense Production Act as we did earlier this month to make sure we’re producing as many tests and as quickly as possible.”
