During the last presidential debate, Democratic candidate Joe Biden warned Americans that it would be a “dark winter” and said President Trump “didn’t have a transparent plan” to deal with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. COVID-19 has killed more than 220,000 Americans and sickened more than 7 million, and some scientists warn that the existing wave may simply be the “biggest wave” of infections.
Debate moderator Kristen Welker of NBC asked Biden about the COVID-19 vaccine and said, “Only 40% of Americans say they would take a vaccine if the government approves. What steps would it take for Americans to trust a vaccine if approved?””
Biden replied: “Make sure it is completely transparent. Have science and we’ll see, we’ll know, let’s take a look at it. Follow the processes. “
“And by the way, he’s the same guy who told you he’d end up at Easter last time,” Biden said of Trump. “It’s the same guy who said, ‘Don’t worry, we’re leaving to finish it over the summer. “We’re about to enter a dark winter. “
“A dark winter, it doesn’t have a transparent plan, and there’s no chance of a vaccine for the maximum number of Americans until midway through next year,” Biden said.
When asked to respond, Trump said, “I don’t think we’re going to have a dark winter at all. “
“We’re opening our country,” Trump said, “We learned, studied and understood the disease, which we didn’t do at first,” he continued. “When I closed and banned access from China – very inflamed – and despite all of Europe, however China was in January, months later, [Biden] said I was xenophobic. Now he says, ‘Oh, I deserve to have acted faster. ‘”
Trump then his reaction to the coronavirus to the Obama administration’s reaction to H1N1, also known as swine flu, in 2009.
When asked to respond, Biden said Trump was xenophobic, “but not because he closed access to China. “
Biden said the United States had closed access to China after 40 other countries. He also said Trump “made sure we had 44 other people in China, looking to get to Wuhan to find out exactly what the source was. “
The former vice president continued to criticize Trump for the coronavirus, saying he “hasn’t done anything. “
Then he comes out of the hospital and says, ‘Don’t worry, it’s going to end soon,’ Allen, I don’t have any other serious scientist in the world who thinks it’s going to end soon. “Biden said.
Trump said he said the pandemic would end, but “we’re learning to live with it. “
Welker then asked about each candidate’s methods of handling the virus. “Mr. Vice President, you warned that you would help make additional closures if scientists advised. What effect on the economy, higher rates of hunger, depression, family circle and sexual abuse outweigh the threat of exposure to the virus?
Biden replied: “I’m going to prevent the virus, not the country. It was his ineptitude that led the country to close largely. “
“Why corporations broke down, why they closed schools, why other people lost their lives and are worried,” Biden said. “He’s been, instead of being in a sand trap on his golf course, negotiated with Nancy Pelosi and the rest of the Democrats and Republicans about what to do with acts they were approving for billions to make sure other people can. “
Biden said he had not ruled closures in the future, but said that if some spaces had higher virus rates, they would “decrease” until they are under control.