Democratic Vice President Sen. Sen. Kamala Harris on Wednesday accused President Donald Trump of the seriousness of the coronavirus outbreak in the United States, saying he was “offensive” and failed to take the virus “seriously.”
“This virus affects almost every country, but there’s a reason it’s hit America worse than any other advanced nation. It’s because of Trump’s failure to take it seriously from the beginning,” Harris said in a statement. press conference alongside former Vice President Joe Biden.
“His refusal to test and spin, to wear his flip-flopping on social distance and masks. His unwavering belief that he knows better than the experts. That’s all the reason and the reason an American every 80 of Covid-19 dies seconds, ‘she said.
The White House and Trump campaign did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Harris’ comments.
The U.S. has the worst coronavirus outbreak in the world with more than 5 million cases and at least 165,328 deaths as of Wednesday, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
Trump has repeatedly blamed China for causing the pandemic and exacerbating it in the US, saying that China hid the magnitude of its outbreak early. However, public health experts blame the increase in cases in the US on failures in the Trump administration, saying it failed to act quickly to contain the virus, nor lacks a coordinated response between the federal government and states and made early mistakes about testing.
“If other countries follow science, Trump wrote miracles he saw on Fox News,” Harris said. “While other countries are flattening the curve, he said the virus would simply disappear, citing ‘like a miracle.’ “So when other countries started to do business, what did we do? We had to quit again.”
During the same conference, Biden promised, if elected, that his administration “will have a comprehensive plan to meet the challenge of Covid-19 and turn the corner on this pandemic.”
“Masks, clearly based on science, are testing to scale up dramatically, states and local governments are getting the resources they need to open schools and businesses safely,” he said.
He asked Trump and Vice President Mike Pence to “take responsibility” for the outbreak.
“With more than 5 million reported infections and 165,000 people dying and climbing as a result of Covid-19 and still months later no real guidance or plan from the President of the United States on how to get this pandemic under control. No real help for the states and local governments trying to fill the vacuum of leadership from the White House, “he said.
The conference was Biden and Harris’ first joint appearance together on the Democratic ticket. On Tuesday, Biden announced Harris as his running mate, fulfilling his promise to select a female running mate and making Harris the first Black woman to ever appear on a main party card.
Harris’ choice of Biden as his presidential candidate brings him a powerful ally in the fight against the coronavirus as the Democratic Party wins the 2020 presidential election.
Harris has commissioned free Covid-19 testing and free masks and legislation aimed at addressing health care disparities in color communities as the virus continues to spread rapidly across the United States. The California senator has called for many changes aimed at protecting Americans, including federal laws banning country homes from tenants and monthly checks for people making less than $ 120,000.
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