Biden makes first in-person appearance in over two months
NEW CASTLE, Del. – Joe Biden made his first in-person appearance in more than two months on Monday as he marked Memorial Day by laying a wreath at a veterans park near his Delaware home.
Since abruptly canceling a March 10 rally in Cleveland at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee has waged much of his campaign from his home in Wilmington. When Biden emerged Monday, he wore a face mask, in contrast to President Donald Trump, who not covered his face in public as health officials suggest.
Biden and his wife, Jill, laid a wreath of white flowers tied with a white bow and bowed their heads in silence at the park. He saluted. “Never forget the sacrifices that these men and women made,” he said after. “Never, ever, forget.”
“I feel great to be out here,” Biden said. His visit to the park was unannounced, and there was no crowd waiting for him.
But Biden briefly greeted a county official and another man, both wearing face masks and standing a few feet away. Biden also yelled to another, larger group standing nearby, “Thank you for your service.” Biden’s campaign said he has gone to the park for Memorial Day often in the past, though services were canceled Monday because of the pandemic.
Though low-key, the appearance was a milestone in a presidential campaign that has largely been frozen by the coronavirus outbreak. While the feasibility of traditional events such as rallies and the presidential conventions are in doubt, Biden’s emergence suggests he won’t spend the nearly five months that remain until the election entirely at home.
As a longtime senator and former vice president, Biden is trying to position himself as someone with the experience and empathy to lead the country out of a crisis. Trump counters that he is the leader who can preside over an economic rebound later this year or in 2021.
Biden has adjusted to the coronavirus era by building a television studio in his home, which he has used to make appearances on news programs, late-night shows and virtual campaign events. Some of those efforts have been marred by technical glitches and other awkward moments.
Some Democratic strategists have openly worried that Biden is ceding too much ground to Trump by staying home. The president has knocked Biden for campaigning from his basement.
Biden’s advisers say they plan to return to normal campaign activities, including travel to battleground states. But they’re in no hurry, preferring to defer to the advice of health experts and authorities’ stay-at-home and social distancing recommendations.
At 77, Biden is among the nation’s senior population thought to be especially vulnerable to the effects of the coronavirus – though so is Trump, who turns 74 next month.