US President Donald Trump’s strategy has been to ignore the coronavirus pandemic and “wave the white flag of defeat,” says his rival, Joe Biden.
The Democratic nominee released a statement after White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said Sunday that the US is “not going to control the pandemic.”
“White House chief of staff Mark Meadows stunningly admitted this morning that the administration has given up on even trying to control this pandemic, that they’ve given up on their basic duty to protect the American people,” the former vice president said. “This wasn’t a slip by Meadows, it was a candid acknowledgment of what President Trump’s strategy has clearly been from the beginning of this crisis: to wave the white flag of defeat and hope that by ignoring it, the virus would simply go away… It hasn’t, and it won’t.”
Today's update on the numbers:
— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) October 25, 2020
Of the 120,829 tests reported yesterday, 1,632 were positive (1.35% of total).
Total hospitalizations are at 1,015.
Sadly, there were 12 COVID fatalities yesterday. pic.twitter.com/X7s6INKPjR
The Trump administration is coming under immense pressure from liberals ahead of the 2020 presidential election over its handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, which keeps claiming more lives in the United States.
“The grim reality is that we continue to set records for new cases, and the fact that the head of the White House’s coronavirus task force has an outbreak in his office and yet still refuses to follow CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] guidelines shows us exactly why,” Biden said.
Biden and former President Barack Obama have been holding drive-in rallies to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, wile campaigning ahead of the November 3 race.
“It’s long past time for President Trump and his administration to listen to the scientists, take action, and finally take seriously the threat of a virus that’s costing thousands of lives each week, shuttering our schools, and forcing millions of Americans out of work,” Biden said.
With cases rising across the country, New York has reported more than half a million, becoming the fourth state to pass the bleak milestone after California, Florida and Texas.