At Town Hall, Biden Blasts Trump's 'Criminal' Virus Response
At Town Hall, Biden Blasts Trump's 'Criminal' Virus Response, AP News. By Alexandra Jaffe, Will Weissert. 9/17/20.
- Audience members watch from their cars as Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden, seen on a monitor, speaks during a CNN town hall in Moosic, Pa., Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
MOOSIC, Pa. (AP) — Joe Biden on Thursday went after President Donald Trump again and again over his handling of COVID-19, calling Trump’s downplaying of the pandemic “criminal” and his administration “totally irresponsible.”
“You’ve got to level with the American people — shoot from the shoulder. There’s not been a time they’ve not been able to step up. The president should step down,” the Democratic presidential nominee said to applause from a CNN drive-in town hall crowd in Moosic, outside his hometown of Scranton.
Speaking about Trump’s admission that he publicly played down the impact of the virus while aware of its severity, Biden declared: “He knew it and did nothing. It’s close to criminal.”
Later, Biden decried Americans’ loss of basic “freedoms” as the U.S. has struggled to contain the pandemic, like the ability to go to a ballgame or walk around their neighborhoods. “I never, ever thought I would see just such a thoroughly, totally irresponsible administration,” he said...
Read more: https://apnews.com/b4ff1bdcc7c0b6c05dd520598e349744
Biden handled a half-dozen questions from CNN moderator Anderson Cooper & audience members about the pandemic & a potential vaccine at the drive-in Town Hall.
Coronavirus wasn't just the main topic — it was also the reason for the format, a drive-in w/ 35 cars outside PNC Field.
Cars were parked around the stage, small groups of people stood outside or leaned or sat on hoods to watch the event.
