WASHINGTON — President Biden mocked his likely election rival Donald Trump Monday by encouraging Americans to not be “silly” by looking directly at the sun during the solar eclipse.
“Folks, enjoy the eclipse, but play it safe, don’t be silly,” Biden, 81, said in a video message posted to X — donning a pair of special glasses on the same White House balcony from which Trump gazed upon a partial solar eclipse in 2017 without the eyewear.
Eye doctors warn that looking at the sun even briefly during an eclipse could cause lasting vision damage and urge people to use the special glasses, which are much darker than ordinary sunglasses.
A White House official paired Biden’s video with the written message: “An eclipse is worth marveling at. But don’t be silly, folks – play it safe and wear protective eyewear.”
The ex-president’s 2016 Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, also used the eclipse as an opportunity to mock Trump, writing on X, “Reminder:” alongside a photo of Trump looking up and squinting.
It’s unclear whether Biden has any plans to view the eclipse, which passes through the Northeast in the mid afternoon.
The president will be in Madison, Wis. and Chicago Monday, west of the zone of totality — where the moon will completely block the sun — that stretches from Texas through western New York.
Trump, 77, narrowly leads Biden in most recent national and swing-state polls ahead of their expected rematch after the Republican suffered defeats by razor-thin margins in critical states four years ago.
