This is Day 40 of the administration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Christie: A lot of Trump's policies are things Republicans support
Ahead of former President Donald Trump's address at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando, Florida, Sunday afternoon, ABC News Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos asked former New Jersey Governor and ABC News contributor Chris Christie about statements made by Republican leaders in recent weeks.
"Three weeks ago, you had Mitch McConnell saying the president bears responsibility for the siege. Kevin McCarthy says the same thing. Kevin McCarthy's at CPAC saying this is Trump's Republican Party. Mitch McConnell says he'd vote for him in 2024," Stephanopoulos said.
"The bottom line is this, George. You know, Donald Trump is not a departing two-term president like George W. Bush was and as a result, he's got an opportunity to come back again if he wants to. And there are going to be some in the party who want him and there are going to be some in the party who don't," Christie said. "But what is consistent is many of the policies that were pursued over the last four years -- take aside the personality; take aside the tweets -- a lot of those policies are things that Republicans support."
On former Pres. Donald Trump's role in the GOP, @ChrisChristie says "many of the policies that were pursued over the last four years, take aside the personality, take aside the tweets, a lot of those policies are things that Republicans support." https://t.co/jisiSjY4KY pic.twitter.com/31meWxoUVZ
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) February 28, 2021
Fauci: Need to get as many people vaccinated as quickly as possible
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized use of a third COVID-19 vaccine in the U.S., declaring the Johnson & Johnson vaccine safe and effective in adults 18 and older.
ABC News Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos asked Dr. Anthony Fauci about hesitancy from people over its reported efficacy compared to others.
"What do you say to those who want to wait for Moderna and Pfizr?" Stephanopoulos asked.
"We have to get away from that line of thought," Fauci responded. "We have three highly efficacious vaccines. Safe and efficacious."
NEW: After the FDA authorized use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, @gstephanopoulos asks Dr. Anthony Fauci about hesitancy from people over its reported efficacy compared to others: "We have three highly efficacious vaccines... that's the bottom line." https://t.co/GNnteaYoeZ pic.twitter.com/VV40UTibGJ
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) February 28, 2021
"If I went into a clinic and said we have JJ now, I would take the one that is available to me now," Fauci continued.
Biden sends letter on Syria airstrike to leaders of House, Senate
The White House released a letter Saturday from President Biden to the speaker of the House and president pro tempore of the Senate on the airstrike in eastern Syria, in his effort to keep Congress "fully informed, consistent with the War Powers Act."
"I directed this military action consistent with my responsibility to protect United States citizens both at home and abroad and in furtherance of United States national security and foreign policy interests, pursuant to my constitutional authority to conduct United States foreign relations and as Commander in Chief and Chief Executive. The United States took this action pursuant to the United States' inherent right of self-defense as reflected in Article 51 of the United Nations Charter," Biden wrote in the letter.
This comes following some bipartisan criticism the White House received over the decision to carry out the airstrike in Syria.
-ABC News' Molly Nagle
Biden teases announcement on US actions with Saudi Arabia after Khashoggi report
As Biden departed the White House to board Marine One Saturday afternoon, he was asked if he planned to punish Saudi Arabia’s crown prince following a U.S. intelligence report that concluded he ordered the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Biden carefully teased an announcement but said it wouldn’t specifically pertain to Khashoggi’s murder.
He said, “there will be an announcement on Monday as to what we’re going to be doing with Saudi Arabia in general.”
The president then left the White House for Delaware.
On Friday the Office of Director of National Intelligence released a highly anticipated report on the death of Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and Saudi dissident who was murdered and dismembered at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in Oct. 2018.
It revealed the U.S. intelligence community found Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman approved an operation to capture or kill him.
The Saudi government has denied that that the crown prince was involved and instead blamed the death on a rogue team of government agents.
The killing has roiled the United States' longstanding ties with Saudi Arabia.
Biden said he spoke to King Salman on Thursday, one day before the report was released.
Biden offers unifying words on Texas, pandemic
Addressing Texas’ effort to recover from the recent winter storm and the nation’s effort to recover from the coronavirus pandemic, President Joe Biden offered a message of unity Friday night in calling on the nation to put aside partisanship and instead focus on working toward a common cause.
"When a crisis hits our states like the one to hit Texas, it's not a Republican or Democrat that’s hurting, it's our fellow Americans who are hurting, and it's our job to help everyone in need. Look out for one another, leave nobody behind. That's what we've seen today in our visit," Biden said, addressing a group in a parking lot outside a mass vaccination site in Houston.
He committed to the people of Texas that the federal government will not turn its back in the long road to recovery: "We will be true partners to help you recover and rebuild from the storms and this pandemic and the economic crisis. We're in for the long haul."
Turning to the topic of the pandemic, Biden applauded the progress on vaccinations -- specifically pointing to the Food and Drug Administration's advisory panel recommending authorization of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
"It's incredible. The precision, the safety, the pride, the sense of purpose, everyone involved at that facility. And we've all seen the news about Johnson & Johnson vaccine, today’s, just -- the third safe, effective vaccine. And it's out. It’s -- They've approved it today,” he said.
The president made a plea for taking politics out of the pandemic, saying it should unite and not divide the nation.
"There is nothing partisan about this virus. It's too long we've allowed the virus to divide us. I met today with Gov. [Greg] Abbott, Sen. [John] Cornyn, conservative Republicans. I'm a Democratic president," he said. "We disagree on plenty of things, and there is nothing wrong with that, but there are plenty of things we can work on together. And one of them is represented right here today -- the effort to speed up vaccinations."
"We're not giving shots to Democrats or Republicans. I say it again, we're giving shots to Americans," he added.
-ABC News' Jordyn Phelps