Biden Blasts Trump’s Coronavirus Address: We Should Not ‘Fall Back on Xenophobia’

BIDEN: "Yesterday we announced the public health advisory committee of experts who’ll continue to counsel my campaign and me, help guide our decisions on the steps to minimize further risks. Also, we will lead by science. The World Health Organization now has officially declared COVID-19 a pandemic. Downplaying it, being overly dismissive or spreading misinformation is only going to hurt us and further advantage the spread of the disease. But neither should we panic or fall back on xenophobia. Labeling COVID-19 a foreign virus does not displace accountability for the misjudgments that have been taken thus far by the Trump Administration. Let me be crystal clear. The Coronavirus does not have a political affiliation. It will affect Republicans, independents and Democrats alike. It will not discriminate based on national origin, race, gender or zip code. It will touch people in positions of power as well as most vulnerable in our society, and it will not stop. Banning all travel from Europe or any other part of the world may slow it, but as we've seen, it will not stop it. And travel restrictions based on favoritism and politics rather than risk will be counterproductive."