President Biden swiped at former President Donald Trump during a visit to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s headquarters on Friday, but this time, it was not over Trump’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Biden played up the differences between his and Trump’s approach to private meetings with foreign leaders, repeating a story meant to underscore his complicated relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
After a COVID-19 briefing in Atlanta, Biden said that he had turned over his notes detailing hours of conversations with Xi when the pair were vice presidents. Trump reportedly confiscated his interpreter’s notes after at least one closed-door discussion with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“By the way, I handed in all my notes,” Biden said as he turned toward reporters and television cameras chronicling the trip.
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Biden’s visit to the CDC, however, was otherwise a serious one. He profusely thanked CDC staff for their work during the pandemic, crediting them with “changing lives” and “the psyche of the country.” The CDC has been criticized for some of its guidance, particularly regarding school reopenings.
“We owe you a gigantic debt of gratitude, and we will for a long, long time,” Biden told a group.
“You are the Army, you are the Navy, the Marines, the Coast Guard,” he said. “You are the front-line troops.”
Yet, while he declared that science is “back” in federal policymaking and indicated that the nation is edging toward normalcy after a year of mask-wearing and physical distancing, Biden seemed to suggest that future public health challenges laid ahead.
“I hope this is the beginning of the end of not paying attention to what’s going to come again and again and again,” he said.
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Biden’s trip to Atlanta was originally scheduled to tout his $1.9 trillion coronavirus package. His push for $1,400 stimulus checks proved pivotal to Democrats winning the twin Georgia Senate runoffs on Jan. 5, handing control of the chamber to his party.
But after eight people were shot and killed at Atlanta-area spas this week, the majority of whom were of Asian descent, Biden’s itinerary changed to include outreach to Asian Americans and Pacific Islander leaders in the state, as well as the CDC visit.
