Photo: George Frey/Getty Images
Former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg is going after President Trump for his response to the novel coronavirus outbreak in a new ad set to air nationally on Thursday, his campaign announced Wednesday.
Why it matters: The 30-second spot claims the U.S. is "underprepared" for the crisis, while highlighting Bloomberg's response to the 9/11 attacks and health emergencies during his time as mayor. Bloomberg is the first candidate to air an ad about the coronavirus, per NBC's Josh Lederman.
- Trump has been optimistic in his public comments about the coronavirus, claiming it's “a problem that's going to go away" and downplaying its mortality rate — despite warnings from the CDC that the virus will spread in the U.S.
- On Wednesday, following a two-day market sell-off, Trump accused the media in a tweet of "doing everything possible to make the Caronavirus [sic] as bad as possible, including panicking markets."
What they're saying:
“Health experts warn the U.S. is underprepared. Managing a crisis is what Mike Bloomberg does. In the aftermath of 9/11, he steadied and rebuilt America’s largest city, oversaw emergency response to natural disasters, upgraded hospital preparedness to manage health crises, and he’s funding cutting edge research to contain epidemics.”— Bloomberg campaign ad
Watch: