President Joe Biden struggled to shake a persistent cough as he delivered his much-anticipated speech in favor of Gov. Gavin Newsom on the eve of the California recall election.
Throughout his 14-minute speech, the president touched on a number of topics dear to progressives, from abortion to climate change, while closely linking Newsom opponent Larry Elder with former President Trump. While the president said nothing novel, his words were frequently interrupted by a lingering cough. The cough was especially glaring when he touted vaccine mandates:
In Mississippi (*cough*), children are required to be vaccinated against measles, mumps, rubella, chickenpox, hepatitis B, polio, tetanus, and more. It’s a state requirement (*cough*), but now in the midst of this pandemic that has taken over 650,00 lives, I propose a mandate for COVID-19 vaccines, and it’s an outrage.
“Look folks (*cough*), we don’t need politics in this battle against COVID, we need science, we need courage, we need leadership, we need Gavin Newsom,” Biden proudly exclaimed as his erupting cough pulled him momentarily from the microphone.
The coughing became so interruptive that Joe Biden eventually apologized to the audience.
“A governor who follows science, whose got the courage to do what’s right (*cough*) and who will lead, and I apologize for coughing,” Biden said as sipped a bottle of water, prompting thunderous applause.
Alas, the coughing persisted despite Biden’s apology.
The Biden speech begins at the 2:00:00 mark below:
Tomorrow’s Election Day—so I’m here with @GavinNewsom to ask Californians to vote no on the recall. Help protect the progress we’ve made. https://t.co/GDWCT1Z4zZ
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) September 14, 2021