The President takes his regular hits on Biden while praising his own administration’s efforts in combating the coronavirus.
President Trump began press briefing with numerous attacks on democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, calling him “anti-science” and heavily criticizing some of his proposals.
Specifically, Trump slammed his opponent’s refusal to take questions after his public addresses, stating, “some [questions] can be nasty, but they’re not that difficult.”
The president also praised his own efforts in fighting the “invisible enemy”, or the coronavirus, and repeated the claim that a vaccine would arrive soon.
Trump to Biden: “Stop Playing Politics With A Virus”
In response to Biden’s recent call for a federal mask mandate, the President heavily disagreed with the proposal, questioning whether the federal government even has the power to impose such a requirement. “If the president has the unilateral power to order every single citizen to cover their face in nearly all instances, what other powers does he have?” he asked.
Trump pushed forward his own stance on the matter, urging Americans to wear masks because it is “a patriotic thing to do”. He made clear that he preferred to have faith in the American people to make their own decisions, acknowledging that all states face unique circumstances. “We do not need to bring the full weight of the federal government down on law abiding Americans,” Trump went on to say.
The President continued to critique Biden in his proposal to combat the virus, claiming that the former vice president, “wants [people] in the basement for months on end… he wants to shut down our economy, close our schools, and grind society to a halt.” He warned that Biden’s proposal would lead America into a “long lasting depression”.
Trump Says “People Are Gonna Have To Feel Safe” To Vote In November
President Trump received another set of questions regarding mail-in voting, where he only furthered his argument against the “fraudulent system”. When asked if he threatens to veto any legislation that includes funding for the post office, the President said that if the funding were in a separate bill than the funding for universal mail-in voting, he would do it. He did however question whether the amount of money proposed by the Democrats would be necessary in the first place.
The President made clear that he supported absentee voting but that mail-in voting would not be supported by the administration because he wants an accurate vote. “Absentee good, mail-in ballot very bad,” he later said. When asked to consider voters who may not feel safe to vote in person due to coronavirus concerns, he stated, “they’re gonna have to feel safe and they will be safe, and we will make sure that they’re safe and we’re not going to spend 3.5 billion dollars to do it.” Trump did not, however, specify any actions the administration plans on taking this November.
Trump: “I See Peace Between Israel And The Palestinians”
In promoting his recent work in preserving relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, the President praised the U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman for his work, stating, “this was a big day for Israel and a big day for the world.”
Trump further explained the importance of the deal, stating,“the deal that was reached today will enable Muslims to have far greater ability to visit many historic sites in Israel, and to peacefully pray at the Al-Aqsa mosque… which they’ve wanted to access for many decades.”
When asked about Palestine’s potential role in this agreement, Trump was optimistic about their participation in the future. “I think they [Palestinians] very much want to be a part of what we’re doing… I see ultimately… peace between Israel and the Palestinians… I think the Palestinians will follow quite naturally,” he said.