President Joe Biden’s past, once again, is coming back to haunt him.
Fox News reports that Biden is now being widely criticized for his new COVID-19 travel ban considering that in 2020 he attacked former President Donald Trump for a similar travel restriction at the onset of the pandemic.
Biden’s ban
Biden announced this week a new travel ban that includes eight African countries in response to concerns about the new “omicron” variant of COVID-19. It will take effect, officially, on Monday.
The eight African countries from which travel to the U.S. will be restricted includes South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique, and Malawi. U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents will still be allowed to travel to America from those countries, but they will have to provide a negative COVID-19 test.
Biden’s ban comes in the wake of similar bans from the European Union, United Kingdom, and Canada, as the world tries to contain the new variant, which the World Health Organization (WHO) has deemed a “Variant of Concern” (VOC).
Biden released a statement explaining the ban is “a precautionary measure.”
“As a precautionary measure, until we have more information, I am ordering additional air travel restrictions from South Africa and seven other countries,” Biden said. He added: “As we move forward, we will continue to be guided by what the science and my medical team advises.”
A flashback
Biden is now being called a hypocrite for his travel ban.
Then-President Trump, at the beginning of the original pandemic, implemented a similar travel ban for China and other countries, including a few in Africa, in order to contain the virus. Then-candidate Biden used the opportunity in an attempt to score political points against the former president.
“We are in the midst of a crisis with the coronavirus,” Biden tweeted at the time. “We need to lead the way with science — not Donald Trump’s record of hysteria, xenophobia, and fear-mongering. He is the worst possible person to lead our country through a global health emergency.”
Biden later followed the attack with another tweet, writing: “A wall will not stop the coronavirus. Banning all travel from Europe — or any other part of the world — will not stop it. This disease could impact every nation and any person on the planet — and we need a plan to combat it.”
The current president has yet to explain how his travel ban, unlike Trump’s, is not “xenophobic,” or how his travel ban, unlike Trump’s, will “stop the virus.”
The post Biden’s own critiques of Trump boomerang back amid new pandemic travel restrictions first appeared on Conservative Institute.
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