Biden Skips the Mask, 'Don't Tell Them,' Then Asks 'Name Me One Major Issue' We Haven't Solved and Takes No Questions (September 6, 2023)

President Joe Biden walked into the State Dining Room without the mask his doctors wanted him to wear, and he told the room to keep it quiet. “Let me explain to the press: I’ve been tested again today. I’m clear across the board, but they keep telling me, because this has to be 10 days or something, I got to keep wearing it. But don’t tell them I didn’t have it on when I walked in. (Laughter.)” Biden said on Sept. 6, 2023, according to the official White House transcript [1].

The press pool noticed. “He was not wearing a mask when he entered the room,” the pooler wrote [2].

Biden was being tested daily that week. The pool reported that “President Biden tested negative for COVID-19 this morning and has no symptoms,” that “He also tested negative on Monday night and on Tuesday,” and that “The First Lady is ‘doing well’ and remains in Delaware,” according to the press secretary [2].

The video above shows Biden’s remarks on the West Coast ports contract on Sept. 6, 2023. Quotes are from the official White House transcript and the White House pool reports [1][2].

”Name Me One Major Issue”

Biden ended the speech with a challenge. “I’ve said it many times, and I make no apologies for it: We’re the United States of America. There is nothing, nothing, nothing beyond our capacity when we do it together. Think about it. Name me one major issue that we’ve set our mind on solving we haven’t been able to do,” he said [1].

Then he left without taking questions. “President Biden’s remarks ended at 2:32pm. He did not respond to shouted questions from reporters,” the pool reported [2].

The remarks ran 11 minutes, from 2:21 to 2:32 p.m. [1]

“My Assistant — My Acting Secretary of Labor”

Biden thanked the official who helped close the deal, and he started with the wrong title. “I also want to recognize Julie Su, my assistant — my Acting Secretary of Labor, who used her deep experience to keep tough negotiations going and — and I — I’m told by both sides, helped close the deal,” he said [1].

Su was “acting” because the Senate had not confirmed her. “Biden first nominated Su to become the head of the department in late February,” and the nomination stalled, HR Dive later reported [3].

He also complimented the union president’s look. “I was kidding him. I said I want to know who his haberdasher is. He looks awful good, doesn’t he? And I like that cut,” Biden said of International Longshore and Warehouse Union President Willie Adams [1].

”The Strongest Economy in the World”

Biden touted the contract’s raises. “That includes a guaranteed 32 percent pay increase over a six-year period,” he said [1].

He made his usual economic claims. “Today, inflation is down to around 3 percent — about one third what it was one year ago,” Biden said. “Let me say that again: Today, the United States has the strongest economy in the world, the lowest inflation rate among all major economies, and 13.5 million new jobs — around 800,000 of them manufacturing jobs.” [1]

He repeated a line from Labor Day. “You’ve heard me say many times, including this Labor Day, ‘Wall Street alone didn’t build this country; the middle class built the country, and unions built the middle class,’” Biden said [1].

And he pushed a union bill. “That’s why I’m continuing to call on Congress to fully and finally pass the Protection of the Right to Organize Act — the PRO Act — which makes it easier for workers to organize unions and more difficult for businesses to engage in unfair practices,” he said [1].

”Quicker Before the — Than Before the Pandemic”

Biden retold how his team handled the 2021 port backups. “And America’s longshore workers stepped up with extraordinary measures, including working around the clock — 24 hours a day, 7 days a week — to keep the cargo moving. It worked,” he said [1].

“Working with port operations, about 97 percent of the packages were delivered on time for the holidays or with only minimal delays. And I want to thank the port operators for that as well. Delivery times were actually quicker before the — than before the pandemic,” Biden said [1].

He blamed foreign shippers for price spikes. “During the pandemic, ocean carriers increased their prices as much as 1,000 percent, costing farmers, ranchers, and our economy a lot of money,” Biden said [1].

He also praised the UPS deal, which he said brought “a brief relief from the heat in delivery trucks by eliminating a tier system, which unfairly paid some lower-waged — some drivers lower wages than others doing the same exact job.” [1]

By the Numbers

22,000: West Coast port workers in the union, per Biden [1].
29: ports covered by the contract [1].
32 percent: the guaranteed pay increase over six years [1].
11 minutes: the length of the remarks [1].
0: shouted questions Biden answered [2].

What Happened Next

Off to India. Biden was to be “tested again tomorrow before departing for India and the G20,” the pool reported [2]. For how that trip began, see HYGO News’ page on Sept. 9, 2023.

For Jean-Pierre claiming Julie Su was “unanimously” confirmed as deputy secretary, see the page on April 18, 2023.