Sign up for our daily briefing
Make your busy days simpler with Axios AM/PM. Catch up on what's new and why it matters in just 5 minutes.
Stay on top of the latest market trends
Subscribe to Axios Markets for the latest market trends and economic insights. Sign up for free.
Sports news worthy of your time
Binge on the stats and stories that drive the sports world with Axios Sports. Sign up for free.
Tech news worthy of your time
Get our smart take on technology from the Valley and D.C. with Axios Login. Sign up for free.
Get the inside stories
Get an insider's guide to the new White House with Axios Sneak Peek. Sign up for free.
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Want a daily digest of the top Denver news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Denver
Want a daily digest of the top Des Moines news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Des Moines
Want a daily digest of the top Twin Cities news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Twin Cities
Want a daily digest of the top Tampa Bay news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Tampa Bay
Want a daily digest of the top Charlotte news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Charlotte
Photo: Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images
The absence of a Marine sentry outside the West Wing on Monday raised questions about whether President Biden was keeping the schedule publicly outlined by his aides.
Why it matters: A sure way to tell if the president is inside the Oval Office is if the spit-shined Marine is at the post, opening the door to the West Wing. A pool reporter questioning whether there had been a change in policy received a simpler, circa-2021 response: the Marine was getting a COVID test.
- "The president was in the Oval Office this morning working, receiving the PDB and all the things that you're aware of from the schedule. There hasn't been a change of policy," White House press secretary Jen Psaki said during the daily briefing.
The backstory: Biden's schedule said he would be in the Oval receiving the Presidential Daily Briefing at 9: 45 a.m. The sentry was absent at that time.
- Pooler Debra Saunders, White House correspondent for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, told her off-campus colleagues at 9:58 a.m.: "There is no Marine standing outside the front door. ... Apparently, the Marine no longer is an indicator that POTUS is in the Oval."
- Psaki and other aides later clarified.
Bottom line: The White House says it's a "misnomer" a Marine must be present when the president is inside the Oval.
- The sentries may leave their post for a variety of reasons, including an event elsewhere on White House grounds or to support other world leaders or VIP guests.