Biden speaks up about coronavirus.
WASHINGTON >> Joe Biden, confronting questions over his lack of visibility during a crisis that has upended the presidential primary, on Monday criticized President Donald Trump’s response to the coronavirus as too slow and insufficient, and pressed him to act like the “wartime president” he says he is.
“Let me be clear: Donald Trump is not to blame for the coronavirus, but he does bear responsibility for our response,” Biden, the former vice president, said. “And I, along with every American, hope he steps up and starts to get this right.”
The speech, delivered via livestream from his home in Wilmington, Delaware, was his first appearance before the American public in six days. Biden, who holds a commanding lead over Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont for the Democratic presidential nomination, has struggled to gain visibility during the crisis, a challenge made even more stark by Trump’s constant presence on television while the Democratic race remains essentially on hold.
The president has appeared daily at news briefings at the White House, events that drive television news coverage. Biden, on the other hand, did not appear on camera in front of the public for an extended stretch of time — from last Tuesday night to Monday morning — as the
“Let me be clear: Donald Trump is not to blame for the coronavirus, but he does bear responsibility for our response.”
— Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden
outbreak intensified. Now his team is scrambling to increase his presence online and on the airwaves: He is set to appear remotely on “The View,” for example, today.
Biden’s absence from public view has been the subject of taunts on Twitter, where hashtags like #WhereIsJoe have been used to skewer him, including by Trump campaign officials. His low profile highlighted a real political risk for his candidacy as the crisis worsens: Trump’s message on the virus, even if factually flawed or misleading, could seep in among American voters without being robustly challenged by Democrats, including by the president’s likely general election opponent.
“What I’m concerned about is that we see Donald Trump every day with this crisis giving his press report,” a donor said during a virtual fundraiser with Biden on Sunday, according to a pool report. “And I would just love to see you more. Like, how do we get more of you and less of him on our airwaves?”