Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden called from President Donald Trump to step down from his position due to his response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Biden appeared for a presidential town hall held in Moosic, Pa., Thursday evening where he was asked how he would be able to change the narrative being communicated about the severity of the coronavirus.
For months, Trump has downplayed the pandemic and even admitted to doing so. However, many of his supporters continue to dismiss the dangers associated with coronavirus transmission.
Biden expressed concern about the president’s stance and how it has impacted the United States’ handling of the coronavirus.
“This is all about one thing, the stock market. He doesn’t want to see anything happen,” Biden said. “It’s all about his reelection. It should be about the American people, and they’re in trouble.”
Biden went on to reiterate Dr. Robert Redfield’s stance on the importance of masks. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) director suggested that masks actually could offer more protection against the coronavirus than a vaccine would, as previously reported on IJR.
See Biden’s remarks below:
'This president should step down': Joe Biden lays into Donald Trump's failed response to the pandemic. #BidenTownHall pic.twitter.com/v0LJyGlVfv
— PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) September 18, 2020
He also noted that honesty and sternness are the best policies when dealing with the American public.
The former vice president went on to suggest Trump “step down” over his handling of the coronavirus.
“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,” Biden said.
Biden’s presidential town hall comes a week after Trump found himself at the center of scrutiny for his recorded conversations with journalist Bob Woodward.
The president not only admitted that he preferred to downplay the pandemic but he also confirmed he was well aware of how the virus is spread by airborne transmission. The glaring detail that COVID-19 is spread through airborne transmission is something many public health experts did not confirm until months after the pandemic began.
The United States has reported more than 6.8 million coronavirus cases since the beginning of the pandemic.