Apr 1, 2020 - Health

Biden doubts Democratic convention can go ahead as planned amid outbreak

Rebecca Falconer

Joe Biden in the 11th Democratic Party 2020 presidential debate in a CNN Washington Bureau studio in Washington, DC on March 15 — 2020 candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden during the Democratic presidential debate in a CNN studio in Washington, D.C. on March 15. Photo: Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

2020 candidate Joe Biden said on MSNBC Tuesday evening it's "hard to envision" the Democratic National Convention going ahead as planned in July when cases of the novel coronavirus continue to rise. But he believes elections can take place during pandemics if alternative methods are used — like "drive-in voting."

The big picture: President Trump said earlier Tuesday projections indicated COVID-19 could kill 100,000–240,000 Americans. The virus has killed more than 4,000 people and infected almost 190,000 others as of Wednesday morning, per Johns Hopkins data.

What he's saying: During his interview with MSNBC's Brian Williams, the former vice president said there's "no rationale for eliminating or delaying the election." He noted political conventions and elections took place during the Civil War "all the way through to World War II" and that it's important to "listen to the scientists" on the issue.

"This is about making sure that we're able to conduct our democracy while we’re dealing with a pandemic. We can do both," Biden said.
"It may mean a difference in the way we do it, it may mean that social distancing doesn't get it done, it may mean you have a circumstance where you have drive-in voting ... There's a lot of ways to do it, but we should be talking about it now."

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Biden doubts Democratic convention can go ahead as planned amid outbreak

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