Democrat presidential candidate Joe Biden has been highly critical of President Donald Trump’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. As the president leads the United States through the most serious pandemic to hit the world in the last 100 years, Biden has launched often incoherent attacks on the president’s response, including frequently calling on him to do exactly what he has already done.
Below are 7 things that Biden called on Trump to do that Trump already did:
1. Biden called for coronavirus tests to be free 9 days after Trump signed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act:
7. Biden called for someone to be put in charge of handling the coronavirus response 5 weeks after Trump tapped Vice President Mike Pence to lead the White House Coronavirus Task Force:
Below are 7 things that Biden called on Trump to do that Trump already did:
1. Biden called for coronavirus tests to be free 9 days after Trump signed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act:
- On March 27, Biden said during an interview on CNN that “the cost of the test should be absolutely zero for you.”
- On March 18, Trump signed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which provided free coronavirus testing.
- On March 27, Biden said during an interview on CNN that testing “should be able to be available nationwide, and that should have been right from the get-go a objective of the administration.”
- On March 15, Trump announced during a press conference that “testing is now available in all 50 states.”
- On March 27, while talking on CNN about how Trump is supposed to be working with governors, Biden said, “I mean, this is — there’s supposed to be cooperation here. I mean, this has nothing to do with politics. And it really — it really doesn’t. It really doesn’t.”
- On March 15, New York Democrat Governor Andrew Cuomo praised Trump: “I often tell you when I am unhappy with the federal response to this state. The fairness dictates that kudos where kudos are due and here the President and the Vice President responded very quickly. So I want to thank them for that.”
- On March 19, California Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom praised Trump: “We need more swabs… The president assured me, not only assured me, he was aware of where those swabs are being procured before I even offered my own insight. Not only is he on top of it, but they’re securing and beginning the process of distributing those swabs.”
- Newsom later said that same day: “Let me conclude by just making a few points to fill in that. We had today, a very important conversation. It was punctuated earlier today by President Trump and his press conference with the CEO of Gilead, it’s a California based company, around treatments. I want to compliment the President in his focus on treatments. It is a focus of positivity as we work to bridge towards a vaccine. It was a very encouraging conversation. … Here’s the good news in the State of California. I was talking to the Vice President and the President today, thanking them for the first national stockpile transfer of assets that we just received, where we received quite literally, hundreds of thousands of gloves and face masks. Not just N95, but also surgical masks.”
- On March 24, New Jersey Democrat Governor Phil Murphy praised Trump: “I want to thank the President and his Administration. We need hospital beds. So, we’ve got four field hospitals getting erected by the – by FEMA and the Army Corps, will – that will allow us to displace currently cared-for individuals, non-COVID, into those hospitals to free up critical care beds.”
- On April 3, Biden’s campaign told CNN that he backed Trump’s China travel ban.
- On January 31, Trump enacted a travel ban on China to slow down the spread of the coronavirus, which originated in China.
- On February 25, Biden said, “I would be on the phone with China and making it clear, we are going to need to be in your country; you have to be open; you have to be clear; we have to know what’s going on; we have to be there with you, and insist on it and insist, insist, insist.”
- On January 3, the Trump administration emailed and called the Chinese CDC to talk about the outbreak and offered to send in the American CDC to assist with the outbreak.
- On March 18, Biden said Trump must, “Prioritize and immediately increase domestic production of any critical medical equipment required to respond to this crisis – such as the production of ventilators and associated training to operate – by invoking the Defense Production Act, delegating authority to HHS and FEMA.”
- On March 18, Trump said during a White House press briefing, “We’ll be invoking the Defense Production Act, just in case we need it. In other words, I think you all know what it is, and it can do a lot of good things if we need it. And we will — we will have it all completed, signing it in just a little while. Right after I’m finished with this conference, I’ll be signing it. It’s prepared to go. So we will be invoking the Defense Production Act.”
7. Biden called for someone to be put in charge of handling the coronavirus response 5 weeks after Trump tapped Vice President Mike Pence to lead the White House Coronavirus Task Force:
- On March 31, Biden said, “Who’s in charge, this is not rocket science it is consequential, incredibly consequential that there is certain things that can be done now – should have been done a week ago, three weeks ago, a month ago. The test for me is what does he do from this point on and he has significant responsibility – put somebody in charge. This is a war, you need a general. Put somebody in charge every single day that is accountable. Let people know exactly what is happening. Tell them the truth, they can handle it.”
- On February 26, Trump announced that he had selected Vice President Mike Pence to run the White House’s Coronavirus Task Force
