Biden: Pandemic has gotten bad enough that even Trump is wearing mask
Former Vice President Joe Biden in a speech on Tuesday blasted President Trump's "failed response" to the coronavirus pandemic, saying the crisis has gotten so dire that "even" the president is wearing a mask now.
Biden spoke about the pandemic in a speech about his new $2 trillion climate plan, which calls for zero-carbon electricity by 2035. At the top of the address, the presumptive Democratic nominee discussed the surge in COVID-19 cases in states like Florida and about Trump recently being seen wearing a mask in public for the first time during the crisis.
"It's gotten bad enough that even Donald Trump finally decided to wear a mask in public," Biden said. "I'm glad he made the shift. Mr. President, it's not enough."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Biden went on to plea for "presidential leadership," arguing that Trump has been "pushing the false choice between protecting our health and protecting our economy" and calling on him to "listen to your public health experts" rather than "denigrating them." These comments from Biden come as the White House has recently sought to undermine Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and after Trump retweeted a claim that the CDC and doctors are "lying" about COVID-19.
In his speech, Biden also pledged that with his climate plan, he won't "just tinker around the edges" but will "make historic investments that will seize the opportunity and meet this moment in history." Brendan Morrow
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
NY attorney general asks public for ICE raid footageSpeed Read Rep. Dan Goldman claims ICE wrongly detained four US citizens in the Canal Street raid and held them for a whole day without charges
-
Trump’s huge ballroom to replace razed East WingSpeed Read The White House’s east wing is being torn down amid ballroom construction
-
Trump expands boat strikes to Pacific, killing 5 moreSpeed Read The US military destroyed two more alleged drug smuggling boats in international waters
-
Trump demands millions from his administrationSpeed Read The president has requested $230 million in compensation from the Justice Department for previous federal investigations
-
Trump nominee in limbo after racist texts leakSpeed Read Paul Ingrassia lost Republican support following the exposure of past racist text messages
-
Trump begins East Wing demolition for ballroomspeed read The president’s new construction will cost $250 million
-
Appeals court clears Trump’s Portland troop deploymentSpeed Read A divided federal appeals court ruled that President Trump can send the National Guard to Portland
-
Millions turn out for anti-Trump ‘No Kings’ ralliesSpeed Read An estimated 7 million people participated, 2 million more than at the first ‘No Kings’ protest in June



