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<\/p>\nWASHINGTON\u00a0\u2013\u00a0 Joe Biden ran for the White House as the mask candidate, criticizing then-President Donald Trump\u2019s dismissal of masks, promising to get tough on mask wearing and modeling good behavior by wearing at least one \u2013 and sometimes two \u2013masks himself.<\/p>\n
“The one thing we do know \u2014 these masks make a gigantic difference,” Biden said last June. “I would insist that everybody out in public be wearing that mask.”<\/p>\n
As president, however, Biden is running up against the limits of the bully pulpit as mask-wearing remains politically polarized.<\/p>\n
Plus, people have gotten tired of pandemic restrictions and see less need for precautions as COVID-19 vaccinations increase, even though health officials are urgently warning that now is not the time to ease up.<\/p>\n
After the governors of Texas and Mississippi moved to lift mask mandates on Tuesday, an exasperated and frustrated Biden said Wednesday that such decisions\u00a0come from \u201cNeanderthal thinking.\u201d<\/p>\n
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In this file photo, then-Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden wears two face masks as he arrives at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Oct. 13, 2020. (Photo: Carolyn Kaster, AP)<\/span><\/p>\n That comment was a direct departure from last week when Biden told a virtual gathering of governors that his administration is \u201cchanging the attitude a little bit about how we deal with one another.\u201d<\/p>\n Tony Fratto, who was a deputy press secretary to former\u00a0President George W. Bush, said he\u2019s sure Biden would take that remark back, if he could.<\/p>\n \u201cNo question, it was the wrong language,\u201d said Fratto, who is otherwise complimentary of how Biden has handled the issue.<\/p>\n Biden is also being pressed on what he\u2019s doing to try to either convince states to stick with pandemic restrictions or to work around governors.<\/p>\n As a candidate, Biden promised that if the governors wouldn\u2019t listen to him, then: \u201cI go to every mayor, I go to every councilman, I go to every local official, say, mandate the mask, man \u2013\u00a0say, this is what you have to do when you’re out. Make sure you encourage it being done.\u201d<\/p>\n The White House insists Biden has been doing that, through the administration\u2019s regular calls with governors, frequent public comments and other actions that have included a public service announcement at the start of the Super Bowl. (First lady Jill Biden did a separate PSA on mask wearing with White House dogs, Major and Champ, for\u00a0the Puppy Bowl.)<\/p>\n First Lady Jill Biden encouraged people to wear masks when walking their pets in a PSA that will air during the Puppy Bowl. (Photo: Discovery+)<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe are going to continue to use every method of the bully pulpit at our disposal to convey directly to people \u2026 that mask wearing, social distancing, getting access to the vaccine\u00a0is the path to go back to normal,\u201d White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Thursday.<\/p>\n Immediately after taking office, Biden signed orders requiring masks be worn on federal property and on trains, planes, buses and public transportation.<\/p>\n He also asked every American to wear a mask for his first 100 days in office.<\/p>\n Four states that had mask mandates have lifted them over the last month: Montana, Iowa, North Dakota and Mississippi. Texas\u2019 mandate will expire on March 10.<\/p>\n What it could mean: <\/strong>Five states are rolling back mask mandates. More could be on the way.<\/span><\/p>\n US coronavirus map: <\/strong>Tracking the outbreak<\/span><\/p>\n Texas and\u00a0the 15 states\u00a0that have lifted, or never had, mask mandates are led by GOP governors.<\/p>\n \u201cIt shouldn’t be political at all, but it seems like it is,\u201d said Rep. Charlie Crist, a former GOP governor of Florida who is now a Democrat and critical of his state\u2019s lack of a mask requirement. \u201cWhat President Biden is doing is exactly what he needs to be doing: calling them out for it.\u201d<\/p>\n Many cities and businesses in Texas and Mississippi have said they will continue their own mask policies, regardless of state rules.<\/p>\n The administration also noted Thursday that one GOP governor, Alabama\u2019s Kay Ivey, is taking a different approach.<\/p>\n Under pressure from fellow Republicans to lift the mandate, Ivey announced that she\u2019s keeping it in place \u2013 until April 9.<\/p>\n Ivey said she and the state\u2019s health officer believe more Alabamians should be vaccinated \u201cbefore we take the step some other states have taken to remove the mask order altogether.\u201d<\/p>\n While temporarily extended, however, the new deadline would fall short of Biden\u2019s 100 days request.<\/p>\n Fratto said Biden doesn\u2019t have many tools at his disposal to get governors to follow federal guidelines.<\/p>\n \u201cYou could argue that maybe he promised too much,\u201d Fratto said. \u201cBut he did promise to use his voice. And I think he certainly is, and has been, using his voice.\u201d<\/p>\n Fratto said Biden should continue doing that, both in private conversations with governors as well as through the media to talk directly to residents in states easing up.<\/p>\n \u201cHe ought to use his voice in those states to encourage good behavior, still, going forward,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Governors are using the media to push back.<\/p>\n Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves tweeted Wednesday that \u201cMississippians don\u2019t need handlers.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI guess I just think we should trust Americans, not insult them,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n President Joe Biden said it's a \u201cbig mistake\u201d for states to lift pandemic restrictions and mask mandates. (Photo: USA TODAY)<\/span><\/p>\n Psaki, on Thursday, said Biden\u2019s Neanderthal comment was \u201ca reflection of his frustration and exasperation.\u201d<\/p>\n While Biden will continue to urge adherence to public health guidelines, Psaki said, he will also \u201cengage with, and talk with, people who disagree with him on a range of issues, including this one.\u201d<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2021\/02\/05\/USAT\/8953951b-8480-4aa9-bd02-06c6ebe10ae8-VPC_JILL_BIDEN_PSA_PUPPY_BOWL_DESK_THUMB.00_00_20_18.Still001.jpg?width=540&height=&fit=bounds&auto=webp\")
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