President Biden sounded awfully hoarse on Friday delivering his remarks on the November jobs report, which came in well below expectations at 210,000.
The good news? The tickle in his throat was no more than a cold given to him by a 1.5-year-old grandson "who likes to kiss his Pop," Biden explained to the room of reporters. He said he is tested for COVID-19 everyday.
Rather than focus on the disappointments of the jobs report, the president instead highlighted the unemployment rate, which fell to 4.2 percent in, at this point in the year, the "sharpest one-year decline in unemployment ever," he said.
"Today's news means the unemployment rate has now fallen by more than two percentage points since I took office," Biden proclaimed. "That's the fastest decline in a single year on record — about three times faster than any other president in their first year in office."
The president also addressed the ongoing pandemic, noting that, on Thursday, the U.S. reportedly administered more vaccines than any day in the last six months. He additionally assured reporters he and his national security team are preparing a "set of initiatives" to make it harder for Russian President Vladimir Putin to "do what people are worried he may do," which is invade Ukraine.