Joe Biden is continuing his attacks on President Trump’s plans to go ahead with campaign rallies, calling the actions reckless and a threat to public health.
The presumptive Democratic nominee’s latest remarks on the issue came during a speech in Philadelphia on Wednesday afternoon, in which Biden blasted the president’s response to the coronavirus epidemic and claimed the country was unprepared for a second wave.
“They have to sign a paper saying if they get the virus, they won’t sue. He knows the problem, but he’s not doing a damn thing about it,” the former vice president said, referring to the legal waiver all attendees have to sign if they wish to attend the president’s scheduled event in Tulsa, Oklahoma, next week.
“Donald Trump wants to style himself a wartime president against an invisible enemy — the coronavirus,” said Biden, vice president from 2009-2017 after 36 years as a Delaware senator. “But unlike any other wartime leader, he takes no responsibility, he exercises no leadership, and now he’s surrendering the fight.”
Despite Biden’s criticism, the president’s rally is still in the planning stages, with both Republicans and Democrats sharing concerns about the spread of the virus. On Tuesday, Vice President Mike Pence said the rally was “a work in progress” and boasted about the million-plus supporters who have requested tickets for the June 20 event.
Earlier on Wednesday, Oklahoma Sen. James Lankford said supporters with underlying health conditions should not attend the rally and pleaded with supporters to wear masks.
“We are advising people if you are coming to the rally, if you have comorbidities, don’t come,” Lankford, a Republican, said in an interview on MSNBC’s Morning Joe. “Watch it on TV.”
The upcoming rally would be the first the president has held since March. Oklahoma has seen a five-day rise in coronavirus cases, which health officials have blamed on the opening up of restaurants and the protests in reaction to the death of George Floyd.
