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Biden’s 1st trip on Air Force One amid travel warning slammed, Internet points out Trump's superspreader events

In a first, Joe Biden flew in Air Force One on Friday afternoon to go home to Wilmington, Delaware, for the weekend

After spending almost four decades in elected office, President Joe Biden, in a first, flew in Air Force One on Friday afternoon to go home to Wilmington, Delaware, for the weekend. According to more than half a dozen administration officials and former Biden aides, it will be his first flight in the presidential jet in more than two decades. But what has actually created a furore is the fact that the president apparently broke rules and is traveling out of town despite warnings from the Center of Disease Control and Prevention to avoid air travel. 

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki was asked during a press conference why Biden is traveling by plane when Americans are instructed to stay home. To which, she responded, "Any president in the United States, Democrat or Republican, obviously takes Air Force One, a private plane, when they travel." At the same time, she added that the guidelines are in place so that "people don't take steps to make others vulnerable in our efforts to get the pandemic under control". But it wasn't long before Biden gained criticism.  

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"Biden is not complying with the guidelines and all apologists are like "Well, what about Trump?". Translation: Common people have to abide by the draconian rules but Biden can do what he wants because Trump," one tweeted. 

The CDC’s guidance this week said that “travel increases your chance of spreading and getting COVID-19,” and recommended, “that you do not travel at this time.” But the guidelines also direct people should not travel unless it is two weeks after their second dose of the vaccine. President Biden had his second dose of the vaccine three weeks ago.

“It’s a great plane,” he told reporters traveling with him. “It’s the same plane that we had as vice president, only it’s much nicer.” Biden used the Boeing 757-200, which is a smaller, narrow-body jet used for smaller airports like the one in Wilmington.

But as Trump supporters slammed Biden for traveling out of the city, for seemingly breaking CDC guidelines, many on Twitter took to point out the hypocrisy. "The double standard here is ATROCIOUS! When Biden flies on Air Force One, all of sudden these right wing hacks are concerned about CDC guidelines, but when T**** was hosting super spreader events across the country, those were very successful," one tweeted. "I think many on the right are too eager to identify hypocrisy. Trump not only ignored the text of the guidelines, but the spirit. They threw unmasked parties in direct violation of their recommendations. You're not seeing the Biden administration unmasked if they can't distance," another user tweeted.

There are not one but many instances where Trump actually showed little regard for CBC guidelines when America was struggling through a peak time. And many on social media were quick to point it out. "Joe Biden flies home on Air Force One to spend the weekend with his family, and the GOP freaked out? June 12, 2020, Trump takes AF1 to NJ to golf for 4 days... This happened a lot over the last four years. Receipts galore," one tweeted. 

There was that one time in June 2020, when Trump flew to New Jersey for a weekend stay at his Bedminster golf club. He also held several campaign rallies that didn't just defy state orders and federal health guidelines, but also reportedly left a trail of coronavirus outbreaks behind him, namely in the following counties: Blue Earth, Minnesota; Lackawanna, Pennsylvania; Marathon, Wisconsin; Dauphin, Pennsylvania; and Beltrami, Minnesota.

In November 2020, the Trump campaign's election night watch party in the White House East Room was also a cause of concern as few masks and no social distancing during the event meant that guidelines were being flouted by the then-president. This was cemented after his chief of staff, Mark Meadows, became the top White House official to contract the virus. 

After he lost the elections to Biden, he went around the country holding rallies where he not only claimed a stolen election but also provided a breeding ground for the virus - these events are thought to have caused 30,000 infections and 700 deaths.