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WASHINGTON: Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden’s campaign struggled Sunday (October 4) to maintain its focus on the nation’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, as President Donald Trump received treatment for COVID-19 in a military hospital.
Biden, who shared a debate stage with Trump last Tuesday, tested negative for coronavirus again on Sunday, after two negative tests on Friday, the day Trump revealed his COVID-19 infection.
Biden and his wife, Jill, will resume the campaign in person on Monday in Florida, where opinion polls show a close race for the crucial 29 votes in the state’s electoral college less than a month before the Nov. 3 election.
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Biden has repeatedly wished the president a speedy recovery. But the former vice president and his aides have used the positive test from his Republican rival to underline a consistent campaign message: Biden would handle the pandemic better than Trump.
In a video posted on Twitter, Trump said he had “learned a lot about COVID” during his stay at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center outside Washington.
“I learned it by actually going to school, this is the real school, this is not the school where we are going to read the book, and I understand it. And I understand it.”
Tony Blinken, the foreign policy adviser for Biden’s campaign, responded on Twitter that Trump’s perceptions of COVID-19 were “devastating” at this latest stage.
“The time to do that was 200,000 deaths ago, not when it affected you. We all wish you the best, but we also wish you did your job. Please do it now,” Blinken said.
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The Trump campaign has begun to describe the 74-year-old president as a “warrior” in messages to supporters asking for donations. On Sunday, Trump briefly traveled in a caravan in front of his hospital to greet his followers, drawing criticism that he was putting others at risk.
Trump’s advisers have continued to criticize Biden’s cautious approach to the virus.
Jason Miller, a senior Trump campaign adviser, mocked Biden Sunday for constantly wearing a face mask, telling ABC’s This Week that the 77-year-old Democratic presidential candidate was wearing masks “as an accessory.”
Biden’s deputy campaign manager, Kate Bedingfield, told ABC that the Democratic candidate “has led by example,” citing campaign use of masks, social distancing, and limits on the number of people at LA events. Bell.
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The United States has recorded 7.4 million coronavirus infections and more than 209,000 deaths in the pandemic, more than any other country.
Voters could be harsh on an approach that continues to downplay the severity of the virus, said Kelly Dietrich, a Democratic strategist and founder of the Democratic National Training Committee, a group that trains party candidates.
“This has touched the lives of all Americans,” he said.
THE CAMPAIGN CONTINUES
In Florida on Monday, Biden will speak with Hispanic voters about his plan to rebuild the United States economy after the coronavirus, his campaign said.
More than 3.3 million ballots had already been cast nationwide by Sunday, according to the University of Florida Elections Project, as more Americans vote early or by mail to avoid being exposed to the virus in crowded polling places. on election day.
A Reuters / Ipsos poll conducted Friday and Saturday after the president tested positive for the coronavirus, found that Biden led Trump by 10 percentage points nationally and that nearly two-thirds of Americans thought Trump likely would not have quit. infected if he had taken the virus. more serious.
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As Trump’s doctors and assistants gave sometimes unclear messages about the president’s health situation over the weekend, Biden’s campaign said it would release the results of every COVID-19 test the candidate takes.
Biden wouldn’t need to do much to benefit from Trump’s diagnosis, as many Americans already viewed Trump’s approach to the virus as arrogant, said David Greenberg, a historian at Rutgers University.
“They’re going to think that even more now, so I don’t think Biden needs to hammer it too hard,” he said.
It remains uncertain when Trump will return to the election campaign, if at all, and if he will be able to participate in the second presidential debate on October 15.
The Trump campaign said Saturday that high-profile allies, including Vice President Mike Pence and Trump’s older sons Donald Jr and Eric, would take charge of the campaign in person this week.
Pence, who tested negative on Friday, will debate on Wednesday with Democratic vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
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