Joe Biden said President Trump is the “worst possible person” to deal with the recent coronavirus outbreak that has killed dozens in China and spread quickly to other countries.
In an op-ed for USA Today, Biden recalled Trump’s behavior on Twitter during the 2014 Ebola outbreak, blasting him for calling President Barack Obama a “dope” and “incompetent.” Biden said the Obama administration saved hundreds of lives and that Trump is “unqualified’ to handle a public health emergency.
“To be blunt, I am concerned that the Trump administration’s short-sighted policies have left us unprepared for a dangerous epidemic which will come sooner or later,” Biden wrote. “Diseases do not stop at borders.”
In 2014, Trump voiced strong opposition to the Obama administration’s handling of the Ebola epidemic. “President Obama — close down the flights from Ebola infected areas right now, before it is too late! What the hell is wrong with you?” he once tweeted.
President Obama – close down the flights from Ebola infected areas right now, before it is too late! What the hell is wrong with you?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 5, 2014
Trump addressed the new coronavirus outbreak on Twitter last Friday, assuring the public he was in communication with the Chinese government and that the situation “will all work out well.”
“China has been working very hard to contain the Coronavirus. The United States greatly appreciates their efforts and transparency. It will all work out well. In particular, on behalf of the American People, I want to thank President Xi,” the president said.
[Related: ‘Pandemics like coronavirus’: Warren accuses Trump of attempting to limit virus research]
China has been working very hard to contain the Coronavirus. The United States greatly appreciates their efforts and transparency. It will all work out well. In particular, on behalf of the American People, I want to thank President Xi!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 24, 2020
Over 100 people are being investigated in the U.S. for potential infections of the virus. Nearly 3,000 people have been diagnosed with the illness in China, and 50 million people have been placed in quarantine by the country’s government.
