President-elect Joe Biden urged the President Donald Trump to help with the transition phase between their two presidencies as the current president has been stonewalling his soon-to-be successor.
Asked what the biggest danger of Trump’s refusal to participate and share the vaccine distribution plans with Biden, the president-elect said, “More people may die if we don’t coordinate.”
He added, “As my Chief of Staff Ron Klain would say, who handled Ebola, the vaccine’s important. It’s of little use until you’re vaccinated.”
Biden continued, “So how do we get over 300 million Americans vaccinated? What’s the game plan?”
He noted that the Trump administration has touted its vaccine distribution plan.
“They say they have this Warp Speed program that not only dealt with getting vaccines but also how to distribute this. If we have to wait until January 20th to start that planning, it puts us behind over a month, month and a half. And so it’s important that it be done, that there be coordination now. Now or as rapidly as we can get that done.”
Q: "What do you see as the biggest threat to your transition right now given President Trump's unprecedented attempt to obstruct and delay a smooth transfer of power?"
— CSPAN (@cspan) November 16, 2020
President-Elect Biden: "More people may die if we don't coordinate."
Full video: https://t.co/WANwvEyYLg pic.twitter.com/ZvJ6FiCi1s
Biden’s team has been raising red-flags that they have not been briefed on the coronavirus from government officials. Biden Chief of Staff Ron Klain said during a recent interview, “The sooner we can get our transition experts into meetings with the folks who are planning the vaccination campaign, the more seamless the transition.”
Dr. Anthony Fauci has also called for a smooth transition that will help the nation in the fight against the virus, saying, “The virus is not going to stop and call a time out while things change. The virus is just going to keep going. The process is just going to keep going.”
President Donald Trump’s refusal to acknowledge the results of the election has also held off giving Biden classified intelligence briefings. The Biden team is now bringing in national security experts to help the former Vice President assess the risks to the nation that he will face as commander-in-chief.