Psaki Defends Maskless Joe Biden as Peter Doocy Inquires About His Weekend Frolic at Washington Restaurant

White House press secretary Jen Psaki defended President Joe Biden’s maskless weekend jaunt on Monday, saying he and First Lady Jill Biden were photographed in a moment where they had “not yet put them back on.”

“There is a mask requirement inside D.C. restaurants, yet President Joe Biden and the first lady were not wearing masks,” Fox News’ Peter Doocy noted at Monday’s White House press conference. “Why?”

Biden was photographed at Georgetown’s Fiola Mare on Saturday evening, where he was seen cradling a face mask in his hands but not wearing it. The first lady, who accompanied him, left the restaurant without a mask in sight.

“I think what you’re referring to it is a photo of them walking out of a restaurant, masks in hand, where they had not yet put them back on yet,” Psaki said. “Of course there are moments when we all don’t put masks back on as quickly as we should, but I don’t think we should lose the forest through the trees here in that our objective here is to get more people vaccinated.”

She closed with an admonition against focusing on “moments in time that don’t reflect overarching policy.”

“It was not just exiting the restaurant, though,” Doocy pointed out. “He was walking through the restaurant with no mask on. There is a carve-out for people under two or people who are actively or drinking, so I’m just curious why the president was doing this.”

“I think I just addressed it,” Psaki replied.

Watch above via the White House.