Joe Biden addressed coronavirus from Wilmington, Delaware early Thursday afternoon. Here are some excerpts:
“It does not have a political affiliation. It will affect Republicans, independents and Democrats alike…It will touch people in positions of power, as well as most vulnerable in our society.”
“This virus laid bare the severe shortcomings of the current administration. Public fears are being compounded by pervasive lack of trust in this president, fueled by an adversarial relationship with the truth.”
“Downplaying it, being overly dismissive or spreading misinformation is only going to hurt us and further advantage the spread of the disease. But neither should we panic — or fall back on xenophobia”
“No president can promise to prevent future outbreaks. But I can promise you this: When I’m president, we will be better prepared, respond better, and recover better. We’ll lead with science. We’ll listen to the experts. We’ll head their advice.”
Watch Biden’s full speech above.
God bless Joe Biden. The country needs someone sounding like a leader in this moment, and he stepped up. That was exactly the right tone and message to strike.
— Charlotte Clymer ?️? (@cmclymer) March 12, 2020
Joe Biden just did a good job sounding like a president-in-waiting, and provided quite a contrast to what we saw last night from Trump, which only spooked the markets and made people feel more anxious. Sanders will do an address as well later today.
— Joy Reid (@JoyAnnReid) March 12, 2020