Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden on Wednesday accused President Donald Trump of “surrendering” to the coronavirus pandemic and of not being prepared for a resurgence that could jeopardize an American economic recovery.
“The American people have sacrificed so much to fight this virus … we could lose some of the progress that we have started to make. All because it has lost all interest,” said Biden. “Now he just gives up the fight.”
Trump is eager to reopen the economy and resume political campaigning as coronavirus cases have started to rise again, with record increases reported this week in Oklahoma, Texas and Oregon.
The president is planning his first rally since the coronavirus forced people to stay at their homes three months ago Saturday in heavily republican Oklahoma, despite objections from public health officials.
“He is so impatient to resume the rallies that he puts people in danger,” Biden said in a speech near Philadelphia during his third visit to the main battlefield state of Pennsylvania this month.
Trump campaign spokesperson Ken Farnaso called the speech “touch-up” “failed attacks” on Trump’s bipartisan approach to fighting the coronavirus.
“President Trump and the country’s governors have joined together in the largest public and private sector mobilization effort since [World War Two], while Biden has done nothing but stay away from fear and rooting for America’s success, “he said.
Biden seeks to take advantage of a growing lead in national polls and diminish Trump’s advantage of being seen by voters as the best equipped to rebuild the economy marked by coronaviruses.
A Reuters / Ipsos poll on Wednesday showed the Democrat a 13 percentage point lead. Yet 43% of registered voters said they thought Trump would be a better economic manager than Biden, compared to 38% who said Biden would be better.
Commerce Department data on Tuesday showed that retail sales in the United States rose 17.7% last month, the highest record, after two consecutive months of sharp declines. This rebound is threatened by certain regions which are experiencing a resurgence of the virus.
Biden has proposed a plan to reopen the economy, including extensive coronavirus testing and protective equipment for those returning to work, as well as paid sick leave, small business grants and the hiring a workforce to track the spread of the disease.
Prior to his speech on Wednesday, Biden met with business owners in Pennsylvania who were struggling to weather the pandemic.
Trump won Pennsylvania by less than a percentage point in 2016, an unexpected victory as well as victories in Wisconsin and Michigan which propelled him to the presidency.
(With the exception of the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
