Last updated on July 18th, 2023 at 12:01 pm
In an op-ed for The Washington Post, presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden wrote that President Donald Trump’s response to the coronavirus pandemic amounts to little more than “deflecting blame and dividing Americans.”
“The coronavirus, to date, has taken the lives of more than 79,000 Americans. One of every 5 U.S. workers has filed for unemployment — with the unemployment rate now the highest since the Great Depression. It is an extraordinary moment — the kind that begs for urgent, steady, empathetic, unifying leadership,” he wrote. “But instead of unifying the country to accelerate our public health response and get economic relief to those who need it, President Trump is reverting to a familiar strategy of deflecting blame and dividing Americans.”
Trump’s “goal is as obvious as it is craven: He hopes to split the country into dueling camps, casting Democrats as doomsayers hoping to keep America grounded and Republicans as freedom fighters trying to liberate the economy,” Biden continued. “It’s a childish tactic — and a false choice that none of us should fall for.”
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Biden also criticized the president’s claim that coronavirus testing would be available to all Americans, calling it a “baldfaced lie.”
“It’s been more than two months since Trump claimed that ‘anybody that wants a test can get a test.’ It was a baldfaced lie when he said it, and it still isn’t remotely true,” the former vice president wrote. “If we’re going to have thriving workplaces, restaurants, stores and parks, we need widespread testing. Trump can’t seem to provide it — to say nothing of worker safety protocols, consistent health guidelines or clear federal leadership to coordinate a responsible reopening.”
That the White House has made sure to make coronavirus tests available to its staff indicates “They knew exactly how to make the Oval Office safe and operational, and they put in the work to do it,” Biden pointed out. “They just haven’t put in that same work for the rest of us. If Trump and his team understand how critical testing is to their safety — and they seem to, given their own behavior — why are they insisting that it’s unnecessary for the American people?”
Trump will be joined by members of his administration will hold a press briefing at 4 p.m. today to discuss coronavirus testing. It is unclear whether there will be a specific announcement at the briefing.
Alan is a writer, editor, and news junkie based in New York.
