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Did Biden scrap state dept speech over mild snowfall? Conservatives mock him for 'avoiding dangerous snowflakes'

The president was set to make his first major speech on foreign policy on Monday but the White House said it was rescheduled because of 'inclement weather'

Former President Donald J Trump often mocked Joe Biden, his Democratic opponent who went on to become the president after winning the 2020 presidential election, during the campaign period as the latter mainly chose to conduct his campaigning from the basement of his residence in Delaware.

The conservatives got an opportunity to mock the 78-year-old once again on Monday, February 1, after he decided to work from home, this time, from the White House, after the national capital faced around two inches of snow coating. In contrast, New York City experienced a strong winter storm the same day with a foot-and-half of snow pounding it. The president even canceled his speech at the state department located nearby, earning the wrath of his conservative critics even more.

“At the height of his presidential campaign, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden holed himself away in the comfort of his basement to campaign over fears of Covid-19,” conservative website 100PercentFedUp.com reported on Monday, adding: “As it turns out, aside from keeping himself safe from the Chinese virus, old Joe’s also very good at avoiding dangerous snowflakes. Today, it was announced that after a 2-inch dusting of snow in Washington DC, Biden would be canceling his speech at the State Department, located only two blocks from the White House, over safety concerns?”

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The New York Post confirmed that Biden decided to remain indoors on Monday and although he kept plans to receive 10 Republican senators to discuss the Covid-19 relief at the White House late afternoon, he scrapped the schedule to speak at the state department located just a few blocks away. 

On Sunday, January 31, night, Biden tweeted a photo taken earlier that day showing a snowy West Wing. He wrote in that picture: “Grateful for the short commute on days like these.” It was only hours later that an official source in the White House confirmed that the president’s visit to the state department was canceled because of the snow. “He looks forward to visiting later this week when the agency’s staff and diplomats can more safely commute to attend,” the official said.

Biden was supposed to deliver a speech on foreign policy at the state department but White House cited “inclement weather” for it getting rescheduled. It would mark Biden’s first major address on foreign policy since he took office last month. The former vice president, who was an active figure in the foreign policy domain while serving in the Barack Obama administration, is facing a number of challenges as the president -- from Iran and Russia to North Korea and China to Afghanistan -- and had vowed to bring in a dramatic shift in the US’s external policies as compared to those pursued by Trump in the last four years. 

While Biden’s tweet showing a snowy day was applauded by some of his supporters, there were also others who questioned how the commander-in-chief could affect his schedule. Some even asked why the president tweeted in a way that he is attending a 9-5 job. 

The conservative outlet recalled an outdoor rally in Michigan in November that was addressed by former president Trump despite freezing cold temperatures for more than an hour.