Writing for the Washington Post this Monday, Greg Sargent contends that 2020 presidential candidate Joe Biden is showing a “stark contrast” to President Trump in leadership skills when it comes to the growing coronavirus pandemic.
According to Sargent, this stark contrast could define the 2020 presidential campaign, especially since Democrats are starting to run ads that highlight Trump’s failure in the days of the virus’ emergence in the headlines. Trump is countering that he’s “leading the nation” in the “war against coronavirus,” even claiming that Biden is a hindrance to that leadership, but Sargent says the record shows something different.
Sargent compiled a timeline that chronicles public statements by Biden and Trump throughout the early days of the crisis, starting out with Trump’s January 22nd claim that “we have it totally under control,” contrasted with a top Biden adviser co-writing an op-ed calling Trump’s dismissals of the virus’ threat “a cause for great concern.”
Sargent cites other examples of Trump spreading the message that the virus was under control, such as a rally in Michigan on January 30. The very next day, Biden told reporters in Iowa that “science” must “lead the way,” adding: “We have, right now, a crisis with the coronavirus.”
Then there were Trump’s February 10 comments where he predicted the virus would dissipate in the summer and the U.S. was in “great shape.” The next day, Biden went on MSNBC’s Morning Joe and slammed Trump for claiming the coronavirus will disappear in the warm weather. “You couldn’t make it up,” Biden said.
Read Sargent’s full timeline over at The Washington Post.