Biden will announce a 12-person coronavirus-task force on Monday, two well-informed sources told CNN. The announcement is about how seriously the president plans to focus on the epidemic that has reached a record number of daily infections in the past week.
The task force will be led by three coaches: former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner David Kessler and Yale University’s Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith. Additional members are due to be announced on Monday.
The priority of the task force’s announcement is to address the urgency of the epidemic and bid to bring the country’s attention back to the virus. Together with Biden and Harris, the group plans to hold frequent television briefings on the crisis, aides say.
It is reminiscent of the meditation devoted to the economy 12 years ago amid deep economic crises when Biden and former President Barack Obama won the White House. It’s the mentality that Biden is leading to the coronavirus, aides say, in hopes of preventing the epidemic from worsening before he takes office on January 20.
Coronavirus was offended by the presidential election and provided a sharp split in the race, with Biden promising to take the epidemic seriously, while Trump downplayed the virus and often complained that it was focusing too much on the campaign trail – but then He contracted it.
Despite Trump’s remark that the virus will quickly disappear and the country is “rounding the corner”, the epidemic has escalated over the past week as the nationwide vote count continues. On Friday, 126,480 new cases were reported every day, according to Johns Hopkins University data, the third straight day where the nation has surpassed 100,000 new cases and the highest number of days since the epidemic began.
Biden’s team stepped up planning the transition on Friday as the former vice president’s victory seemed imminent.
The Biden transition team, which has been working behind the scenes since Labor Day, has also selected candidates for key cabinet positions that do not require Senate confirmation and positions within the West Wing. Aides said cabinet announcements are not expected for a few weeks, and some delays are likely to occur until Georgia finds out who will control the Senate after the January election.
Ron Klein, a longtime adviser to Biden and his chief of staff during the early years of the Obama administration, is a leading contender to become White House Chief of Staff, people close to the process told CNN.
The Biden transition is a tremendous effort, with two ongoing advisors, Jeff Zents and Ted Kaufman, taking the lead in overseeing these ongoing efforts. Anita Dunn, a senior adviser to the Biden campaign and former White House communications director, Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico and Rep. Louisiana. Cedric is another co-chair with Richmond.
Despite Trump continuing to fight election results, top aides in the White House have been planning a possible transition for months. The effort is being spearheaded by Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Coordination, who has extensive experience of transition since leading Mitt Romney’s presidential transition planning team in the run-up to the 2012 elections.
Biden has also promised to name candidates who reflect the diversity of the nation. Some top potential candidates have been scrutinized as early as possible, but everything will be reviewed in the wake of the election results and possibly questions over Senate control, supporters said.
Biden’s transition advisory council includes former National Security Adviser Susan Rice, former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Battingig and former Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates, among others.
“There’s no room for embarrassment,” said a senior Obama administration leader who has given informal advice to the Biden transition team. “Every cabinet nominee must be ready to succeed.”
Addressing the nation before contesting the presidential election on Friday night, he said the election had given him an “order for action”, acknowledging the fact that he and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris considered defeat for Trump. The political weight they need to quickly advance aspects of political administration, including the management of its coronavirus.
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