Biden Says Trump Should’ve ‘Spoken Up’ On Virus Severity In State Of The Union

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September 15, 2020

Topline

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and his running mate Sen. Kamala Harris offered another scathing round of criticism for Trump’s response to coronavirus in the wake of revelations that he knew about the virus’ severity as early as January.

WASHINGTON, DC – FEBRUARY 04: President Donald Trump delivers the State of the Union address in the … [+] House chamber on February 4, 2020 in Washington, DC. Trump is delivering his third State of the Union address on the night before the U.S. Senate is set to vote in his impeachment trial. (Photo by Leah Millis-Pool/Getty Images)

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Key Facts

Trump acknowledged to Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward in a recorded interview on Feb. 7 that the virus was “deadly stuff” and “goes through air,” later telling Woodward in March that he “played it down” to avoid “panic.”

But Woodward also reported Trump received a “jarring” briefing about the virus from National Security advisor Robert O’Brien as early as Jan. 28.

“Imagine if he had spoken up in his State of the Union,” Biden said of Trump’s Feb. 5 speech at a fundraiser on Monday, according to Washington Post reporter Matt Viser.

Biden asserted that Trump should have “warned the people what was coming” so Americans could be prepared to take on the virus, which has since killed nearly 200,000 people nationwide.

Trump did make a brief mention of the virus in his address, stating that he was “coordinating with the Chinese government” on a response and promising that his administration would “take all necessary steps to safeguard our citizens from this threat,” but did not note the severity of it.

During a virtual town hall with hospitality union Unite Here, Harris argued Trump “underestimates” the ability of the American people to handle the truth about the virus, telling Trump to “deal with us straight” and adding, “don’t play games and don’t play us.”

Crucial Quote

“While Joe Biden hid in his Delaware basement, President Trump’s unwavering leadership in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic saved millions of lives,” Trump campaign deputy press secretary Ken Farnaso told Forbes, adding that the Obama administration’s H1N1 response is evidence that Biden is “incapable” of handling coronavirus.

Crucial Quote

“He doesn’t know what in the hell he’s doing, he takes no responsibility,” Biden summed up Trump’s coronavirus response at a second fundraiser on Monday. “But I laid out all the way back in March how we can reopen, how we deal with the Covid crisis and how we move.”

Big Number

23%. That’s the percent of Americans in a Yahoo/YouGov poll released Saturday who said Trump’s quotes about the severity of the virus and playing it down alter their opinion of his handling of the virus. Of those, 64% said they are less likely to vote for Trump in November. 39% also said Biden would have handled the virus better, while 28% said he would’ve handled it worse and 16% said his response would’ve been the same as Trump’s.

Tangent

Harris also took aim at Trump for hosting a crowded indoor rally in Nevada on Sunday with little mask-wearing. “He has two sets of rules about the reality he chooses to discuss,” Harris said. “The one in which he lives and then the one he tries to push on other people.”

Full coverage and live updates on the Coronavirus

Biden Says Trump Should’ve ‘Spoken Up’ On Virus Severity In State Of The Union

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