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The contradiction between Trump and health experts on an issue that has become a focal point of the 2020 election campaign highlighted the lack of confidence that Joe Biden said he and the public have in the handling of the pandemic by the President.
FILE: US President Donald Trump speaks during a press conference in the James Brady Press Conference Room of the White House August 3, 2020, in Washington, DC. Image: AFP
WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump on Wednesday expressed renewed confidence that a viable COVID-19 vaccine would be ready by October, directly contradicting a senior administration health expert and facing fierce criticism from his rival. Democrat Joe Biden.
Trump sowed confusion on the issue with an extraordinary public rebuke from one of his top health experts, who said masks were a leading weapon in fighting the pandemic and that a vaccine was unlikely to be widely available until mid-2021.
“I think he made a mistake when he said that. That is just incorrect information,” Trump told reporters, referring to Senate testimony from the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Robert Redfield.
“We are very close to that vaccine, as you know … We think we can start sometime in October” or shortly after, Trump said.
“I think he was confused,” he said of Redfield. “I’m just saying that we are ready to start as soon as the vaccine is given.”
Redfield told lawmakers Wednesday that a “very limited” distribution to priority groups, including first responders, could begin in November and December, but that full implementation would take at least many more months.
“I think we are probably looking at the end of the second quarter, third quarter of 2021” before a safe and effective vaccine becomes available to the general public, he added.
Redfield tweeted his support for a possible vaccine Wednesday night, but warned Americans to be vigilant to mitigate the viral spread in the meantime.
“The best defense we currently have against this virus is the significant mitigation efforts of wearing a mask, washing hands, social distancing, and watching out for crowds. # COVID19”
The contradiction between Trump and health experts on an issue that has become a focal point of the 2020 election campaign highlighted the lack of confidence that Biden said he and the public have in the president’s handling of the pandemic, which it has killed nearly 200,000 Americans.
“When I said I trust vaccines and scientists, but I don’t trust Donald Trump, this is what I meant,” Biden tweeted after Trump’s comments.
Just an hour earlier, the Democratic nominee said Trump’s refusal to take key steps to address the pandemic, such as instituting national guidelines on social distancing and testing, was “completely disqualifying” for the presidency.
The Democratic candidate, who spoke after receiving a briefing from public health experts, said he supported a rapid COVID-19 vaccine to help bring American life back to normal, but said the process must be guided by science and security, not politics.
‘HE IS THE PRESIDENT’
On Tuesday, Trump sped up his own already optimistic predictions, saying a vaccine could be available even before the November 3 presidential election.
“We’re just weeks away from getting it, you know, it could be three weeks, four weeks,” he said in a city hall question-and-answer session with Pennsylvania voters broadcast on ABC.
Democrats have expressed concern that Trump is pressuring government health regulators and scientists to pass a rushed vaccine in time to help him on his uphill run for re-election.
Trump also raised his eyebrows when asked at city hall why he had downplayed the severity of the pandemic in its early months.
“I didn’t downplay it,” Trump responded. “In fact, in many ways, I took advantage of it in terms of action.”
But Trump himself told journalist Bob Woodward during recorded interviews that he had deliberately chosen to “downplay” it to avoid alarming Americans.
The president, who is rarely seen wearing a mask in public and has long refused to pressure Americans to adopt the habit, told city council that “a lot of people don’t want to wear masks and people don’t believe that masks are good. “
The comment drew criticism, including from Biden, who also criticized Trump for saying the Democrat refused to institute a mask mandate.
“I’m not the president, he’s the president,” Biden whispered into the microphone.
Trump’s anti-mask message also received something of a reprimand from Redfield, as the CDC director showed senators a medical mask and said: “I could go as far as to say that this mask has more guarantees of protect myself against COVID than when I take a COVID vaccine. “
Trump flatly rejected the claim, noting that he called Redfield to ask what he meant.
“I think there are a lot of problems with the masks,” Trump said. “It is no more effective than a vaccine.”
Biden regularly appears at campaign events wearing a mask and usually takes it off to deliver a speech. Trump, who lags behind in pre-election polls, has mocked Biden for wearing a mask.
Polls show that a majority of Americans disapprove of Trump’s handling of the pandemic.
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