Biden to Trump on Coronavirus: “Follow The Science, Listen To The Experts, Do What They Tell You” – RealClearPolitics

During an interview Sunday on ABC’s “This Week,” presidential candidate Joe Biden said that he would follow the CDC’s new recommendation to wear a mask when in public and urged President Trump to do the same.

“I think it’s important to follow the science. Listen to the experts. Do what they tell you,” Biden said.

“I don’t think I’m going to be doing it,” President Trump said Friday. “Wearing a face mask as I greet presidents, prime ministers, dictators, kings, queens; I just don’t see it.”

“He may not like how he looks in a mask, but the truth of the matter is that, follow the science. That’s what they’re telling us,” Biden said Sunday.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: And what we’ve seen also these new guidelines from the CDC saying that they believe the public now should wear masks in public. President Trump said he doesn’t want to do it. He’s not going to do it, but several other leading politicians are. When you go in public going forward, will you be wearing a mask?

JOE BIDEN: Yes. Look, I think it’s important to follow the science, listen to the experts, do what they tell you. It’s, you know, you may not look — he may not like how he looks in a mask, but the truth of the matter is that follow the science, that’s what they’re telling us.

So, if I go out in public, and I have not gone to commercial places of late. I haven’t gone to my local church, et cetera, there are no services actually, but my generic point is that you should follow the science.

STEPHANOPOULOS: And your campaign videos have been quite tough on the president. You say his failures, his incompetence are going to cost lives. Is that what’s happening now?

BIDEN: Well, look, what I have been saying is that he’s moving too slow. The virus is not his fault, but the response is his responsibility.

Look, there are a few things he can do — he can immediately fully implement the Defense Production Act, which I and many others called for a long time ago. And he’s just getting underway with it. There’s still no Defense supply — Production Act for gloves, masks, all the things first responders need.

We should create a bank defense production act. We have got to get those small business loans out. You saw what American Express did — I mean, excuse me, Bank of America did. They came out and said unless you already have loans with us, unless you already have worked with us, unless you have a credit card with us we’re not going to — even though they’re government-guaranteed loans, we’re not going to process those loans.

We have got to save jobs. We’ve got to save people’s businesses. And they have to exponentially ramp up testing. We have been talking about 4 million tests are going to be available. Look where is all this — where is it? What’s being done?

You’ve got to open up enrollment for Obamacare. A lot of people don’t have insurance. This president is trying to take away Obamacare across the board, which will leave people naked to this problem that we’re facing. And we have to finally get some data how this Coronavirus is really hurting African-Americans and minority communities.

These are things that should be done now, but you need a supply commander in charge of it all. And right out of the White House, right out — in direct response to the president so we know where to get what we have to get and get it quickly.