WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) – President Joe Biden gave a pep talk to a California woman fired over the coronavirus pandemic during a conversation the White House said is part of an effort to help him deal more consistently with ordinary Americans.
The White House released a two and a half minute video of Biden’s long-distance phone call with Michele Voelkert on Saturday, identifying her only as Michele.
After losing her job at a start-up clothing company in July, she wrote Biden a letter. He read it and then called her.
The woman in Roseville, California, told Biden it was “a difficult time” to find work.
Biden, speaking from his Oval Office desk, replied that his father always said a job is as much about dignity and respect as it is about a salary. He described his $ 1.9 trillion coronavirus contingency plan, which calls for $ 1,400 payments to people like Voelkert, and other economic aid for individuals and small businesses. There is also money to help spread coronavirus vaccines.
“I’ve been saying for a long time that the idea that we think we can keep businesses open and moving and thriving without tackling this pandemic is just a non-starter,” said Biden.
The Sacramento Bee said it spoke to Voelkert, 47, after the phone call. “It was the chance of a lifetime,” she said. “I’m still riding high.”
The talk is part of an effort to help Biden, who has largely restricted his travels due to the pandemic, to communicate directly with Americans, the White House said. Biden flew to Wilmington, Delaware on Friday to spend the weekend at home with his family.
“There is a long-standing tradition in the country to hear from the president in this way,” said press secretary Jen Psaki on Friday, watching the video. She was referring to Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “chats by the fire” and Ronald Reagan’s establishment of a weekly radio address.
The radio address eventually grew into a video version that could be viewed over the internet. However, the practice lapsed under former President Donald Trump.
Biden’s weekly address will be produced in various forms, Psaki said.
Later Saturday, Biden left home for a regularly scheduled X-ray of his right foot, which he broke in late November while playing with his dog Major.
Dr. Kevin O’Connor, the president’s physician, said in a White House statement that the “10-week post-injury weight-bearing X-ray” was supposed to help Biden restore stability to his ligaments.