Statement by Vice President Joe Biden on Five Million COVID-19 Infections

Today we passed five million reported infections of COVID-19 in the United States. It's a number that boggles the mind and breaks the heart. Five million is more than the entire population of Alabama — or of more than half the states in our union, for that matter. Each time the number clicks up, it represents a life altered, a family stricken with anxiety, a community on edge. And for the families of the more than 160,000 souls who have died because of this virus, it is a pain that can never be undone.

My heart goes out to all those who have been touched by the pandemic — to those who have lost loved ones, lost their income, lost their peace of mind. I know that for many Americans, especially as the months continue to drag on, there are moments when the losses feel unbearable. But we must not give up. We must follow the science and the advice of medical experts — starting with wearing a mask. That is how we will beat this virus.

And yet, we continue to hear little more from President Trump than excuses and lies in an effort to cover for his repeated failures of leadership — failures that worsened the pandemic here at home, and in turn deepened our economic crisis. It should never have gotten this bad. No other country in the world has been hit as hard as we have. No other high-income economy is still struggling to get this under control. In fact, Americans are no longer welcome in much of the world, because we are seen as a public health threat. And we are where we are today for one simple, infuriating reason: Trump waved the white flag and gave up. He didn't want to deal with the pandemic, so he stopped trying. He didn't do his job.

Trump has already thrown away months of the American people's sacrifice and hard work. Imagine what four more years of his failures will cost us.