Biden on ‘60 Minutes’: ‘The pandemic is over’

Biden’s insistence on Sunday night that the pandemic is over caught several of his own health officials by surprise. The declaration was not part of his planned remarks ahead of the “60 Minutes” interview, two administration officials familiar with the matter told POLITICO.

Biden’s statement was the most definite one he has made about the pandemic since assuming the presidency in January 2021. He was less definitive when asked whether he planned to seek reelection.

“Is it a firm decision that I run again? That remains to be seen,” Biden said, saying he would make his decision after the November midterms.

He did qualify his remarks by saying it had always been his “intention” to seek another term and explained that “election laws” would come into play if he were to announce his candidacy at this juncture.

In the interview, parts of which were recorded at the White House before Biden flew to Britain to attend the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, the president also said he was startled to see the photograph of top-secret documents on the floor of the residence at former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, calling Trump “totally irresponsible.”

The president said his first thought was, “How that could possibly happen” and added: “I thought: What data was in there that may compromise sources and methods?”

Biden said he has steered clear of trying to determine the specifics of what was in the documents that Trump possessed, leaving it to the Justice Department to sort out the matter. Biden has said that he didn’t have a heads-up that the FBI planned to search Mar-a-Lago to find classified documents, a search that has led to an ongoing legal battle between Trump and the Justice Department.

“I have not asked for the specifics of those documents,” Biden told Pelley, “because I don’t want to get myself in the middle of whether or not the Justice Department should move or not move on certain actions they could take.”

The interview was Biden’s first as president on “60 Minutes,” which launched its 55th season on Sunday night. Biden also addressed inflation (“I’m telling the American people that we’re going to get control of inflation”), his mental acuity, his approval ratings and international hot spots, including Ukraine and Taiwan.

Biden asserted that U.S. forces would defend Taiwan if China were to launch an invasion. American policy toward Taiwan has been much less than definite on that point since the 1970s, when the U.S. recognized China, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory.

“Would U.S. forces defend the island?” Pelley asked.

“Yes, if, in fact, there was an unprecedented attack,” Mr. Biden said.