Psaki Blames Organized Retail Theft on the Pandemic; Biden Has Done Only One Local Interview; Harris Staff Fleeing

On 12/2/2021, Psaki blamed organized smash-and-grab retail theft on “the pandemic” when asked what Biden would do about surging lawlessness. Biden had done only one local television interview despite promising them after the infrastructure bill passed. Harris’s staff began fleeing — with Psaki insisting departures were “natural” and not about bad headlines. Psaki also could not say whether Biden still believed he could “shut down the virus” as a new variant emerged, said “nothing is off the table” including domestic travel vaccine mandates, and confirmed the administration was implementing Trump’s Remain in Mexico policy under court order despite Biden calling it “dangerous and inhumane.”

Smash-and-Grab Theft: “Root Cause Is the Pandemic”

Doocy asked the sharpest question of the briefing. “When a huge group of criminals organizes themselves and they want to go loot a store — a CVS, a Nordstrom, a Home Depot — until the shelves are clean, you think that’s because of the pandemic?”

“I think a root cause in a lot of communities is the pandemic, yes,” Psaki said.

Doocy pressed: “These are dealing with smash and grab robberies, a record number of police officers have been shot and killed this year. What is President Biden going to do about all this lawlessness?”

Psaki pointed to Biden’s budget proposal for additional funding.

Only One Local Interview

A reporter noted Biden had failed to follow through on his promise to do local TV interviews after the infrastructure bill passed. “I think he’s only done one so far,” the reporter said.

“I would very much like that to happen. We are always competing with time on the schedule. His schedule has been quite packed,” Psaki acknowledged.

Harris Staff Exodus

Doocy asked about multiple aides departing the Vice President’s office. “Is the Vice President not satisfied with the staffing she has had, or do people just not want to work for her anymore?” Doocy asked.

“Working in the first year of a White House is exciting and rewarding, but it’s also grueling and exhausting,” Psaki said. She noted only Symone Sanders’s departure had been officially announced.

“This is not a case of bad headlines about the Vice President and a decision to shake up staff to fix an image issue?” Doocy pressed.

Psaki deflected to Sanders personally. “She’s going to do plenty of interesting things. She’ll always be a part of this Biden-Harris family.”

Doocy then asked whether the VP blamed her staff for lack of progress on voting rights and migration. “The Vice President is grateful to all of the staff who have served her,” Psaki said.

”Shut Down the Virus” — Still Possible?

A reporter reminded Psaki that Biden had “repeatedly promised to shut down this virus.” “Is that still possible, or are we starting to shift to accepting that we need to live with COVID for years to come?” the reporter asked.

“There’s a lot we don’t know about the variant yet, and that is challenging and frustrating,” Psaki said, not answering whether the promise was still achievable.

”Nothing Off the Table” — Including Domestic Travel Mandates

Psaki was asked about vaccine mandates for domestic air travel. “Nothing is off the table, including domestic travel,” Psaki said. When pressed on whether active discussions were underway, she hedged: “There are active discussions about a range of things that will never see the light of day every single day.”

Remain in Mexico Under Court Order

A reporter asked how Biden felt about implementing the Trump-era Remain in Mexico policy after calling it “dangerous and inhumane.” “Secretary Mayorkas and the President have repeatedly said this program has endemic flaws. It has imposed unjustifiable human costs,” Psaki said. “We are in a situation where we’re under a court order. That is what we are working to implement.”

The Broader Pattern

The briefing captured a recurring theme of the Biden White House: deflecting accountability for visible crises by pointing to the pandemic as a universal excuse. Crime surging? The pandemic. Schools closed? The pandemic. Inflation rising? The pandemic — and then Putin. The strategy worked as long as the public accepted the framing, but by December 2021, polls showed Americans were increasingly skeptical that every problem could be attributed to COVID-19 rather than policy choices.

Key Takeaways

• Psaki blamed organized smash-and-grab retail theft on “the pandemic” when asked what Biden would do about surging crime.
• Biden had done only one local TV interview despite promising them after the infrastructure bill.
• Multiple Harris staff departed; Psaki denied it was about “bad headlines” and called it “natural after a couple of years.”
• Psaki could not say whether Biden’s promise to “shut down the virus” was still achievable as a new variant emerged.
• She said “nothing is off the table” including domestic travel vaccine mandates.

Transcript Highlights

The following is transcribed from the video audio (unverified — AI-generated from audio).

• You think organized looters clearing shelves is because of the pandemic? I think a root cause in a lot of communities is the pandemic, yes.
• He’s only done one local interview so far. I would very much like that to happen. His schedule has been quite packed.
• Do people not want to work for her anymore? Working in the first year is grueling and exhausting. It’s all of those things.
• Is shutting down the virus still possible? There’s a lot we don’t know about the variant.
• Nothing is off the table, including domestic travel mandates.
• This program has endemic flaws. We are under a court order. That is what we’re implementing.

Full transcript: 1231 words transcribed via Whisper AI.