Psaki insists Biden follows all COVID protocols despite cold

White House press secretary Jen Psaki insisted that President Biden was following proper Covid-19 protocols in forging ahead with his public appearances, despite having come down with a cold. 

Biden sparked concerns for his health on Friday by speaking with a hoarse voice and coughing his way through a speech on the disappointing November jobs report that fell below expectations.

'A lot of people in the workforce are encouraged not to got to work if they are exhibiting those symptoms. So are the rules different for the president?' Fox News' Peter Doocy asked the press secretary. 

'The president again was tested [for Covid], as we put out,' Psaki said. 'He received a response quickly for him to proceed ... he had a cold.' 

Doocy noted it is possible to test negative several times before testing positive. 'Any concerns?' 

'I can assure you that the president follows every protocol ... he wants to keep everyone safe in the White House.' 

She said Biden was tested for COVID more often than usual this week - three times - because of his cold symptoms. 

'He's taken over the counter cold medication and probably some cough drops and some tea.' 

Washington Post's Weijia Jiang pointed out that Biden has claimed he is tested every day for Covid-19. 'Did he just misspeak there?' 

'I would point you to the transparent note we put out from the doctor to all of you It outlines how many times he was tested and what he was tested for,' Psaki said.  

At the end of his audibly raspy speech where he stopped to cough multiple times, Fox News' Peter Doocy asked Biden: 'Mr. President, your voice sounds different. Are you okay?' 

Biden said it was 'just a cold' and he is tested for Covid-19 every day. 

'I'm okay Biden said. “I have a [coronavirus] test every day.” 

'What I have is a one and a half year old grandson who likes to kiss his pop,' Biden said. 

The president seemed to refer to his son Hunter's youngest child Beau Jr. 

Biden also sounded raspy while delivering remarks on Thursday. 

The White House, concerned about quelling rumors, released an official statement on the president's cold. 

'As is readily apparent, the president is experiencing some increased nasal congestion this week. This can be heard in his voice and he is feeling the colloquially  well-known 'frog in one's throat,'' the president's doctor Kevin O'Conner said in the statement. 

'Investigation has included a comprehensive respiratory panel which includes 19 common respiratory pathogens, to include COVID-19, other coronaviruses, influenza, streptococcus, to name a few... all of these tests were negative.' 

White House press secretary Jen Psaki insisted that Biden is following proper Covid protocols. 

'I can assure you that the president follows every protocol ... he wants to keep everyone safe in the White House.' 

She said Biden was tested for COVID more often than usual this week - three times - because of his cold symptoms. 

'He's taken over the counter cold medication and probably some cough drops and some tea.' 

Two weeks ago the 79-year-old president had a benign polyp removed during his colonoscopy. 

The physician also ran a series of tests and found that the president's frequent 'throat clearing' could also be due to gastroesophageal reflux and found that there 'were zero tumors or polyps, and his vocal cord appearance and function were normal.' 

U.S. employers added just 210,000 jobs in November, well below the estimated half a million that economists had predicted. 

It's a sign that companies are still cautious as the coronavirus pandemic drags on. 

However, Biden touted the new report. 'We're looking at the sharpest one-year decline in unemployment ever,' he said. 

He boasted about the 'incredible news' that the unemployment rate is down to 4.2%. 'Simply put, America is back to work.' 

Viewers of the speech immediately took notice of his strange sound. 

'The hell is going on with Biden's voice? He sounds like Barry White,' one Twitter user wrote.  

'By the sound of Biden's voice he's either getting sick or just reached puberty,' wrote another. 

The data was compiled before Wednesday's announcement that the Omicron variant of COVID-19 was found in the U.S. 

White House press secretary Jen Psaki was on live television, doing a roundtable for MSNBC's Morning Joe, when the number dropped.  

'That's a number that feels a little, what? A little off?' Co-host Mika Brzezinski asked, as economists had predicted 550,000 jobs to be added. 

Psaki said she couldn't publicly comment about the Department of Labor report yet. 

'Well, I know this sounds a little archaic, but I can't comment on them until 9:30 a.m., by rules because I work at the White House,' Psaki said. 'I will say what people can expect the president to continue to say today, month-to-month, is that what we're seeing are good trends.' 

President Biden welcomed the news, saying America was back to work.

'Today, we have incredible news that our unemployment rate has fallen to 4.2% – a level experts didn't expect us to achieve until 2024,' he tweeted. 

'We've created 588,000 jobs per month on average this year – a record.'