Everyone was trying to keep busy (and keep their spirits up) on our nation’s somber holiday yesterday and presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden was no exception. He and his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, left their home for the first time in months (well, for Joe, anyway), and went to lay a ceremonial wreath at a local veterans’ memorial. The press was quick to point out how the Bidens were wearing the proscribed facemasks of the novel coronavirus era while President Trump chose not to do so. (CNN)

Joe Biden left his home for the first time in months on Monday, sporting a face mask to lay a wreath at the Delaware Memorial Bridge Veteran’s Memorial Park.

The former vice president, who has not left his home in months for a public event due to the coronavirus pandemic, laid a wreath alongside roughly a dozen veterans and his wife, Jill, per a pool report.
“Never forget the sacrifices that these men and women made,” Biden told reporters before leaving the memorial. “Never, ever, forget.”

First of all, I will say with complete sincerity that I appreciate it when I see public figures going out on Memorial Day to pay their respects to those we have lost in battle. The fact that the Bidens joined with other local veterans for the occasion probably came as a boost to their morale. Of course, with all of that said, this performance did have the sense of being a bit “stage-managed,” didn’t it? Also, after staying in the basement for so long, with or without a mask, wasn’t it a bit risky to go out with that group before the virus monster has been slain?

Perhaps not. Maybe this is just what Joe Biden always does on Memorial Day. Sure, when he was Vice President he was sort of obligated to do this sort of thing. But now he’s a private citizen and he’s still taking care of these honorable functions. Good for him! With that in mind, let’s see how Joe spent some previous Memorial Days since leaving office.

Last year on Memorial Day, Monday, May 27, 2019, what was Joe up to? (NBC News, emphasis added)

Democratic rivals ran in parades or appeared at other events, but Biden spent Memorial Day weekend off the campaign trail.

His official campaign guidance read, “Joe Biden has no public events scheduled.”

Huh. I guess he was otherwise occupied. And before any of you point out that he’s now a candidate so it makes sense for him to do this, he officially became a candidate ten days before Memorial Day last year, so that dog won’t hunt.

Moving on, let’s check in on Uncle Joe on Memorial Day 2018, which fell on Monday, May 28. Um… there was plenty of press coverage of President Trump making what they felt was an inappropriate Tweet on that holiday. There’s even reference to a “better” tweet from Barack Obama. I couldn’t find a peep in the news about Joe Biden on Monday or Tuesday of that week.

Okay, so how about Monday, May 29, 2017? That’s the ticket. Now we’ve hit pay dirt. Uncle Joe was definitely out and about on that Memorial Day weekend. Which veterans’ memorial did he visit then? Oh, wait… my bad. It wasn’t a veterans’ memorial. He was officiating a gay wedding. (HuffPo)

Joe Biden kicked off his Memorial Day weekend by helping a same-sex couple tie the knot.

On Saturday, the former vice president presided over the nuptials of Democratic National Committee Finance Chair Henry Muñoz III and his husband, Kyle Ferrari, People magazine reported.

Details of the actual ceremony are scarce, but one of the wedding’s high-profile guests was none other than Melanie Griffith. The “Working Girl” star, 59, posted a photo of the nuptials to her Instagram account Monday.

Well, at least it sounds like everyone had a fabulous time.

So let me see if I’ve got this. Since leaving office, when Memorial Day came around, even when there wasn’t a pandemic raging, Joe Biden either didn’t have any events scheduled or he had something better to do (even when he was already an official candidate in 2019). But now that we’re in the heat of both the general election campaign and a plague, he broke quarantine to go lay a wreath. Fair enough, sir. Make of that what you will.