President Joe Biden and his wife, First Lady Jill Biden, thanked frontline health care workers in a taped message before Super Bowl LV.
President Joe Biden and his wife, First Lady Jill Biden, thanked frontline health care workers in a taped message before Super Bowl LV.
They also called for a moment of silence in honor of the more than 400,000 Americans who have died as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the message, Biden urged Americans to continue wearing masks, stay socially distanced and get vaccinated, once it is one's turn.
Earlier in the day, CBS aired an interview with Biden, in which the president provided praise for both Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady and Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
"Obviously, [Tom] Brady's a great quarterback," Biden said. "[Patrick] Mahomes seems like he's got a lot of potential. And so, I'd probably take a shot with the young guy I didn't expect as much from."
Biden didn't offer a pick on the winner of Super Bowl LV.
"I don't know who's gonna win," Biden said. "I think they're both great quarterbacks. One is just a younger version, potentially, of an old, great quarterback. Not old. In NFL terms."
The 46th president also said that he expects a full stadium at Super Bowl LVI in February 2022 in Los Angeles.
There are 25,000 fans at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa at Super Bowl LV, including 7,500 health care workers.
As of Sunday evening, there have been nearly 27 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States, causing at least 460,000 deaths.