Joe Biden Off to the Beach After Admitting 'No Federal Solution' on Coronavirus

President Joe Biden left Monday for his beach vacation in Delaware after admitting in a video call with U.S. governors that there was no federal solution to the coronavirus pandemic.

“Thank you very much. Look, there is no federal solution,” Biden said as he began speaking to the governors. “This gets solved at a state level.”

The president appeared with his coronavirus team on the artificial White House video conferencing set. He indicated that only governors could end the pandemic by leading the charge.

“It ultimately gets down to where the rubber meets the road,” Biden said, referring to state government. “My message to the governors is simple. If you need something, say something.”

He said the omicron variant of the virus is a “source of concern” but urged Americans not to panic.

The president acknowledged the long lines for people trying to get coronavirus tests before the Christmas holiday. “Seeing how tough it was for some folks to get a test this weekend shows that we have more work to do,” he said.

He claimed that if he had known there would be a shortage he would have acted.

“It’s not enough. It’s clearly not enough,” Biden said. “If we had known, we would have gone harder, quicker if we could have.”

During the call Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) thanked Biden for working with governors but warned that the federal government’s effort to buy up coronavirus tests would make it difficult for states to compete.

“That dries up the supply chain for what we might offer as governors,” Hutchinson said.

Biden spoke to reporters briefly as he left the White House for his beach house in Delaware, claiming “there were no complaints” during his call with governors.

“They said they’ve gotten all that they need. They just want to know what we think is gonna happen from here,” he said.

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