President Trump accused presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden of attempting “to politicize a pandemic” following his call Thursday for a nationwide mask mandate to slow the spread of coronavirus.
During an evening press briefing, Trump told Biden to “stop playing politics with the virus.”
Trump argued that Biden’s approach was “regressive, unscientific and bad for our country.” He accused the former vice president of opposing Trump administration policies that proved effective, such as travel bans, even as he pushes for a mask mandate that fails to take into account how the pandemic was impacting specific communities.
BIDEN CALLS FOR MANDATE REQUIRING ALL AMERICANS TO WEAR MASKS
“At every turn, Biden has been wrong about the virus, ignoring the scientific evidence and putting left-wing politics before facts,” Trump said at the briefing. “Sleepy Joe opposed both the China and Europe travel bans. He opposed the China travel ban that I instituted very early and the Europe ban I instituted quite early.”
Trump’s remarks came hours after Biden appeared alongside Democratic presidential running mate Kamala Harris ahead of a virtual fundraiser in Wilmington, Del. At the event, Biden called for a nationwide mask mandate, pushing governors to require masks in all states for at least the next three months.
Biden cited estimates saying a mask mandate would save at least 40,000 lives over the three-month period. Biden and Harris did not take questions at the event.
”Wearing the mask is less about you contracting the virus,” Biden said. “It’s about preventing other people from getting sick.”
Trump accused Biden of pushing for a federal mask mandate that would overstep the bounds of the office and infringe on the rights of Americans.
“All Americans must have their freedoms. I trust the American people and their governors very much,” Trump said. “Joe doesn’t know too much.”
