Biden: Trump ‘finally’ wearing a mask isn’t enough leadership

Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden on Tuesday blasted President Trump’s handling of the coronavirus, saying the fact that the president “finally” wore a mask in public over the weekend isn’t enough.

“Hospitalizations and deaths, two of the most concerning indicators of Trump’s failed response, are already unacceptably high and they are rising,” Biden said during a speech in Delaware. “It’s gotten bad enough that even Donald Trump finally decided to wear a mask in public. I’m glad he made the shift. But Mr. President, it’s not enough. We won’t be able to turn the corner and get American people back to work safely without presidential leadership.”

Trump wore a mask in public over the weekend while meeting with health care staff treating COVID-19 patients at Walter Reed hospital in Maryland.

The president has seldom worn a mask in public.

Some Republicans have urged Trump to wear a mask to set a good example, but the president has said he doesn’t want to give the news media the satisfaction of seeing him with a face covering.

Biden on Tuesday also accused Trump of risking U.S. lives and future economic growth by pushing to open the economy too quickly.

Trump and many Republicans are eager to reopen large portions of the economy, even as the number of coronavirus cases surges in states like Florida and California.

Biden called on Trump to “quit denigrating your public health experts” — a clear reference to the administration going public with its efforts to undermine Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious diseases expert and a member of the White House coronavirus task force.

Fauci has called for a cautious approach to reopening, and his advice has oftentimes run counter to what Trump would like to see.

“Mr. President, ‘open everything now’ isn’t a strategy for success, it’s barely a slogan,” Biden said. “Quit pushing the false choice between protecting our health and protecting our economy. All it does is endanger our recovery on both fronts. Mr. President, please listen to your public health experts instead of denigrating them. Do your job Mr. president, because if we can’t deal with the health crisis, we can’t deal with the economic crisis.”