Statement by Vice President Joe Biden on the Trump Administration's Response to COVID-19

White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows stunningly admitted this morning that the administration has given up on even trying to control this pandemic, that they've given up on their basic duty to protect the American people. This wasn't a slip by Meadows, it was a candid acknowledgement of what President Trump's strategy has clearly been from the beginning of this crisis: to wave the white flag of defeat and hope that by ignoring it, the virus would simply go away. It hasn't, and it won't.

It's sadly no surprise then that this virus continues to rage unchecked across the country and even in the White House itself. The grim reality is that we continue to set records for new cases, and the fact that the head of the White House's coronavirus task force has an outbreak in his office and yet still refuses to follow CDC guidelines shows us exactly why. It is particularly outrageous when the science tells us that if we just took basic precautions now, we could save thousands of lives. For example, the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation has said that universal masking could save around 100,000 lives over the next few months. It's long past time for President Trump and his administration to listen to the scientists, take action, and finally take seriously the threat of a virus that's costing thousands of lives each week, shuttering our schools, and forcing millions of Americans out of work.