It was an embarrassing moment for former Vice President Joe Biden on Tuesday evening when CNN anchor Jake Tapper took time out of their interview to teach the 77-year-old politician how to properly cough to avoid infecting other people.
Biden was appearing on CNN to discuss the coronavirus pandemic when he began coughing. Biden said, “excuse me,” and coughed into his hand.
“You know, you’re supposed to cough into your elbow,” Tapper responded, demonstrating the technique with his elbow. “I learned that, actually, covering your White House.”
Most people should have learned that long before the Obama administration.
“Actually, that’s true,” Biden said. “But fortunately, I’m alone in my home, but that’s OK. I agree you’re right.”
Unless Biden knows how to work the camera and audio for his home studio, he likely wasn’t alone in his home.
Tapper didn’t accept Biden’s response, instead lecturing the former vice president about his hygiene.
“It’s kinda just old school to do it with your hand,” Tapper said, again demonstrating with his elbow. “Do it into your elbow. You’re supposed to do it.”
“Thank you,” Biden responded.
Tapper had asked Biden at the beginning of the interview whether the former vice president had been tested for the coronavirus.
“No, I have not been tested for the coronavirus, uh, I’ve had, thank God, no symptoms that I’m aware of, that doesn’t mean that can’t happen,” Biden said.
As The Daily Wire recently reported, Biden spent Tuesday coughing through multiple live interviews:
During an interview on ABC’s “The View,” Biden struggled to make a coherent statement about curing the coronavirus, saying, “We have to take care of the cure, that will make the problem worse no matter what.”
During an interview on MSNBC, Biden, who had to repeatedly clear his throat, was showered with praise by leftist Nicolle Wallace.
“Why doesn’t he just act like a president,” Biden said. “That’s a stupid way to say it– sorry.”
“Go ahead,” Wallace responded.
“No, no, it’s probably best I don’t,” Biden responded.
During that interview, which took place after Biden’s interview with Tapper, the former vice president can be seen coughing (not into his elbow) and repeatedly touching his face even though the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends avoiding touching one’s face to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
Grabien founder Tom Elliot collected the interviews into a supercut video showing all of Biden’s coughing through the day’s interviews.
SUPERCUT!
Biden Coughs, Acts Confused, Throughout ABC/CNN/MSNBC Interviews pic.twitter.com/GuSA1Fsxst
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) March 24, 2020
Biden began holding his own shadow briefings on the coronavirus in an effort to show how he would handle the crisis better than President Donald Trump. During his first such briefing, Biden didn’t even appear, instead having former White House Ebola Response Coordinator Ron Klain explain what Biden would do to respond to the coronavirus. Klain’s suggestions were no different than what Trump has been doing. On Monday, when Biden gave a live speech he had allegedly practiced for a week regarding the coronavirus, he stumbled when he ran into teleprompter problems. Biden was supposed to show the country how knowledgeable he was about the virus, yet he couldn’t find anything to say without his teleprompter.
“And, in addition to that, in addition to that we have to make sure that we, we are in a position that we are, well let me go the second thing, I’ve spoken enough on that,” Biden said after signaling to his staff that something was wrong with the teleprompter.