Biden: Trump diagnosis is ‘bracing reminder’ of virus stakes
GRANDRAPIDS, MICH. » Democrat Joe Biden offered sympathy to President Donald Trump over his coronavirus diagnosis Friday while casting the moment as a reminder of the worldwide health crisis that has hit the United States particularly hard.
Shortly after the White House announced Trump would spend “a few days” at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, the Biden campaign said it would take down its negative advertising. Biden said fromthe battleground state of Michigan that it cannot be a “partisan moment” and that Americans must “come together as a nation.”
Speaking from the parking lot of a union hall while wearing a mask, Biden said Trump’s diagnosis is a “bracing reminder to all of us that we have to take this virus seriously.”
“It’s not going away automatically,” Biden added.
One month before Election Day, Biden faces a unique moment in what has already been a chaotic presidential campaign. He must balance his opponent’s illness and its destabilizing effect on Washington while making a closing argument that the coronavirus is serious and requires stronger leadership in the White House.
Biden has long offered a contrast to Trump in substance and style when it comes to the coronavirus, which has killed more than 205,000 Americans and more than 1 million people worldwide. He’s issued multiple plans for dealing with the public health and economic implications of the pandemic, while Trump has largely left state and local officials to create their own guidelines and frequently contradicts his own public
health experts.
Biden has taken a lowkey approach to in-person campaigning, largely keeping a thinner schedule of small, socially distanced events and adhering closely to state and local public health recommendations regarding masks. Meanwhile, Trump has proceeded with large in-person
rallies where attendees often go maskless, and he regularly mocks Biden’s decision to wear a mask in public.
The contrast between the two candidates was made even starker Friday as the president lay low in the White House before leaving for the military hospital. Trump confirmed the results of his test in an early Fridaymorning tweet, leaving much of Washington scrambling to assess the potential fallout, with little clarity on who in the administration may have been exposed and who had been tested.
Meanwhile, Biden, who spent 90 minutes on stage with Trump in their Tuesday debate, went forward with a planned event in Michigan on Friday afternoon after testing negative.
His running mate, California Sen. Kamala Harris, also tested negative for the virus and held planned events Friday, a fundraiser with former President Barack Obama and a drive-in rally in Las Vegas. Throughout the day, she mentioned Trump’s diagnosis only once — during the fundraiser, where she offered her “deepest prayers” for the president and his wife. She made no mention of the development during her later event in Las Vegas.