The President gave punches and taps on the shoulder to the delegation lined up along the red carpet at the foot of Air Force One, which the White House said was part of an effort to reduce physical contact amid the rapid spread of a new strain of the coronavirus. .
But just minutes later, Biden broke the new effort — exchanging a hearty handshake with former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the current opposition leader. Biden later also shook hands with a pair of Holocaust survivors at Yad Vashem.
The President’s half-hearted effort to reduce physical contact on his trip to the Middle East was a jarring switch for Biden, who has shaken many hands in the days leading up to his trip. And it raised questions about whether the White House was trying to avoid the sight of Biden shaking hands with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, whom Biden will meet for the first time on Friday. Biden faced questions about that meeting after he said as a candidate he would make Saudi Arabia a “pariah” for the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The CIA claimed Khashoggi was killed in an operation approved by Bin Salman.
Pressed by reporters on Air Force One, White House press secretary Karin Jean-Pierre denied that was the reason for the attempted reduced physical contact.
“We say we will try to minimize contact as much as possible. But also, there are precautions that we take because it depends on his doctor. BA.4, BA.5 is indeed, as we” see, we increase. And we want to make sure we’re taking those precautions to keep him safe and to keep all of us safe,” Jean-Pierre said, referring to emerging variants of the coronavirus.
Jean-Pierre said there was no “new policy” on no handshakes, but said Biden would take “extra precautions.”
“We’re in a phase of the pandemic right now where we’re looking to reduce contact and increase masking as we stand here in front of you wearing masks to minimize the spread,” national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Wednesday. “I can’t talk about, you know, every moment and every interaction and every movement. That’s just the general principle that we’re applying here.”
The BA.5 variant became prevalent in the US last week, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and epidemiologists have warned of an increase in cases and hospitalizations in the coming weeks.
But Biden’s effort to reduce physical contact marked a sharp shift.
On Monday, Biden shook hands with lawmakers and gun safety advocates at a White House event, and on Tuesday he was seen hugging and shaking hands with members of Congress at the Congressional Picnic.
And last week, Biden shook hands, hugged supporters and took selfies at an event in Cleveland.
