President Biden lamented late Monday that his Secret Service protective detail doesn’t let him get up close and personal with audience members at events — despite him having the authority to overrule their advice.
Biden, 81, who has a lengthy history of accusing his handlers and security of getting in his way, made the complaint to reporters as he returned from campaigning with Vice President Kamala Harris in Pennsylvania on Labor Day.
“Feels good,” the president told a reporter who asked how it felt to be on the stump again, “except I’m not able to go out into crowds anymore, the Secret Service doesn’t let me.”
“They said it’s too dangerous,” Biden answered when asked why he was restricted. “No one gets to go out.”
The Secret Service has been stepping up its protective measures in the wake of the near-assassination of former President Donald Trump on July 13.
However, Biden has the right to greet supporters at events even if agents tell him otherwise.
Throughout his presidency, Biden has grumbled about needing permission from his handlers or bodyguards — even for rudimentary duties like fielding inquiries, leading to speculation about the extent to which he controls his administration.
“Can I take a couple questions?” the president asked a staffer during a Michigan campaign stop back in March, for example.
“Yeah, we’re going to take a few questions,” the staffer replied.
Earlier that same month, during a task force meeting about lowering the cost of living, Biden drew laughs by mumbling, “I have a lot of questions. I better not start the questions. I’ll get in trouble.”
“You guys are bad. I’m not supposed to be answering all these questions,” the president said in May 2021 during an exchange with reporters. “I’m supposed to leave, but I can’t resist your questions.”
A few weeks after that, Biden let slip again that he’d get “in trouble” if he deviated from a pre-planned list of reporters during a news conference at the conclusion of the three-day G-7 summit in 2021.
This summer, the White House faced a reckoning over the steps staffers took to shield Biden, whose debate performance against Trump in late June had sparked a firestorm of concerns about his age and mental acuity.
Biden announced July 21 that he would not seek a second term and endorsed Harris to become the presidential nominee for the Democratic Party.
Monday’s event in Pittsburgh marked the first time Biden has been on the campaign trail for a joint appearance with his veep since he dropped out of the race.
After withdrawing, the 81-year-old president had spent weeks away from the White House, including time at Camp David, a stint at Masimo CEO Joe Kiani’s Santa Ynez, Calif., estate, and a Rehoboth Beach, Del., getaway.
“I feel real good about Pennsylvania. I think we’re going to win Pennsylvania,” told reporters Monday night.
Harris has a 0.5 percentage-point edge over Trump in the latest RealClearPolitics aggregate of polling out of the Keystone State.
Pennsylvania has 19 Electoral College votes and is seen by many observers as the critical state in the 2024 election cycle.
