The Biden White House is refusing to say whether it would support a recommendation that Americans stop at only two beers a week, though White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre suggested President Biden might defer to “the experts.”
Fox News’ Peter Doocy asked White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre about the recent reports that President Biden’s alcohol czar may recommend Americans to have no more than two beers a week.
Doocy asked Jean-Pierre if Biden wants “to limit Americans to two beers a week,” which the press secretary did not answer.
Fox News’ Peter Doocy asked White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre about the recent reports that President Biden’s alcohol czar may recommend Americans to have no more than two beers a week. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
“Where’s this coming from? Maybe I didn’t miss you so much,” Jean-Pierre said. “Where is this? Where is this coming from?”
Doocy rephrased his question to Jean-Pierre, asking her how dropping the recommendation on alcohol consumption “will go over” with the American public.
“Let me tell you what I’m not gonna get involved in: that question,” Jean-Pierre responded, which Doocy followed up asking if Biden would be “okay” with Americans being recommended to drink only two beers a week.
(Doocy rephrased his question to Jean-Pierre, asking her how dropping the recommended alcohol consumption “will go over” with the American public.)
But then she said: “I will leave it to the experts,” she said. “I’m just not going to comment on that.”
Biden, who does not drink himself, encouraged Americans to take part in an Anheuser-Busch promotional giveaway to get COVID-19 vaccination numbers up.
Anheuser-Busch offered of-age Americans a free round of beer if they got the shot.
“Get a shot and have a beer,” Biden said in 2021.
Jean-Pierre refused to answer Doocy’s question. (MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
Jean-Pierre’s comments come after a Thursday Daily Mail interview with National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) Director George Koob, who said that the U.S. may follow Canada’s footsteps on alcohol guidelines.
Currently, American guidelines recommend men limit themselves to two drinks per day while women should only have one drink. The American recommendations are up for review in 2025.
Canada’s guidelines recommend only having two drinks per week.
Koob, who said he partakes of a couple of glasses of “buttery Californian Chardonnay” a week, said he was watching the Canadian “big experiment” with interest.
“If there’s health benefits, I think people will start to re-evaluate where we’re at,” Koob said.
Koob said there are “no benefits” to physical health from drinking alcohol and that he was “pretty sure” American alcohol consumption recommendations are “not going to go up.”
“So, if [alcohol consumption guidelines] go in any direction, it would be toward Canada,” Koob said.
