Photo courtesy Biden for President
Joe Biden called President Trump's plans to reopen the economy a "false choice that none of us should fall for" designed to stoke partisan tensions to deflect from his administration's public-health failings in a Washington Post op-ed.
What he's saying: "If we're going to have thriving workplaces, restaurants, stores and parks, we need widespread testing. Trump can’t seem to provide it — to say nothing of worker safety protocols, consistent health guidelines or clear federal leadership to coordinate a responsible reopening," the former vice president wrote.
- "Instead of unifying the country to accelerate our public health response and get economic relief to those who need it, President Trump is reverting to a familiar strategy of deflecting blame and dividing Americans."
- "His goal is as obvious as it is craven: He hopes to split the country into dueling camps, casting Democrats as doomsayers hoping to keep America grounded and Republicans as freedom fighters trying to liberate the economy."
Biden focused on the Trump administration's response to the coronavirus pandemic, saying the president's March statement that "anybody that wants a test can get a test" was a "baldfaced lie."
- "The administration is fully aware that this is the right path, too — after all, the president and his staff are now reportedly receiving daily tests. They knew exactly how to make the Oval Office safe and operational, and they put in the work to do it."
- "They just haven’t put in that same work for the rest of us."
- The White House has been rattled in the last week by positive coronavirus tests for Trump's personal valet and Vice President Pence's press secretary, Katie Miller, who is married to top Trump adviser Stephen Miller.
Go deeper: 10 times Trump and his administration were warned about coronavirus