President Joe Biden has been taking meetings remotely since he tested positive for COVID-19 last week — and he’s been using a Zoom setup worth more than $7,000 to do it.
In the days since the diagnosis, the White House has shared multiple photos of Biden taking meetings with lawmakers and business leaders using a large flatscreen with a silver band and camera on top of it.
The device appears to be a Neat Board, a pricey gadget featuring a 65-inch, 4k touchscreen and high-definition camera. Its Oslo, Norway-based designer bills it as a “complete meeting room package in a simple and elegant all-in-one device.”
While the Neat Board itself retails for $5,790, Biden’s version includes a rollable floor stand that costs an additional $1,490 — bringing the total taxpayer bill for the President’s rig to $7,280 plus shipping, according to prices listed on the Neat Board site.
In one photo that the White House posted on Twitter Friday, Biden spoke with his advisors through the Neat Board, which is positioned next to a comically large chart touting that “Average Retail Gas Prices” have declined in recent weeks.
In another image posted late Monday, Biden used the gadget to speak with “industry and labor leaders” about semiconductor legislation.
Biden has been working remotely since he was diagnosed with coronavirus on Thursday. The president said Monday that he’s “feeling great” and wants to be back to in-person work by the end of the week.
Neat Board did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Biden’s use of the Neat Board was first noted by noti.group.
[Written in collaboration with other media outlets with information from the following sources]
