Biden vows no ‘false promises’
Trump condemns protests in Philadelphia
LAS VEGAS— Joe Biden vowed Wednesday not to campaign “on the false promises of being able to end this pandemic by flipping a switch,” pledging instead to prioritize science, while U.S. President Donald Trump used the race’s final days keeping a whirlwind schedule aimed at focusing on anything but the coronavirus.
The Democratic presidential nominee also argued that a Supreme Court conservative majority stretched to 6-3 by newly confirmed Justice Amy Coney Barrett could dismantle the Obama administration’s signature health law and leave millions without insurance coverage during the pandemic. He called Trump’s handling of coronavirus an “insult” to its victims, especially as cases rise dramatically around the country — an increase large enough to cause financial markets to sag.
“Even if I win, it’s going to take a lot of hard work to end this pandemic,” Biden said during a speech in Wilmington, Del.
“I do promise this: We will start on Day 1 doing the right things.”
Trump began his day in Las Vegas, were he condemned violence that occurred during some protests in response to the police shooting of Walter Wallace Jr., a Black man, in Philadelphia.
Trump said of Biden and the destructive demonstrators, “This is a group that he supports, he doesn’t want to condemn them.” But Biden had already done just that, saying, “There is no excuse whatsoever for the looting and the violence.” Biden said protesting overall was “totally legitimate.”
Trump held two rallies in Arizona, including one just across the Colorado River from Nevada that he hoped to use to appeal to voters in that state. A Trump Nevada rally in September attracted thousands and led to the airport that hosted it being fined more than $5,500 (U.S.) for violating pandemic crowd restrictions.
Rather than curb the crowds, Trump is simply shifting his event to nearby Bullhead City, Ariz.
It’s the latest example of the president downplaying the virus and criticizing Democratic leaders in states like Nevada, who have imposed limits on gatherings to combat the worst public health crisis in more than a century.
Wednesday’s crowd looked to be mostly from Arizona, though there were attendees from Nevada. Few wore masks.
After he left an outdoor rally Tuesday night in Omaha, Neb., hundreds spent hours waiting in the cold for transportation to cars parked far away. Several people were taken to hospitals amid concerns about exposure.
Trump is trailing Biden in most national polls. Biden also has an advantage, though narrower, in the key swing states that could decide the election.
Biden voted early in Wilmington on Wednesday and also received a virtual briefing from health experts, who said the coronavirus in the U.S. is in its third wave.
In the U.S., more than 71,000 people a day are testing positive for the virus on average, up from 51,000 two weeks ago. Cases are rising in all but two states, Hawaii and Delaware, and an average of 805 people are dying per day.