On Saturday, Joe Biden’s campaign released a new attack ad critiquing President Donald J. Trump’s response to the coronavirus outbreak, accusing him of being soft on China.
The Huffington Post reports that the digital advertisement targets voters in the critical battleground states of Arizona, Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
“He failed to act,” the voice-over artist asserts before presenting several so-called “facts” that could never be put into proper perspective within a 1:43 political spot.
The following breakdown of the ad provides significant details omitted from the Biden camp’s version of events.
Donald Trump left our country unprepared and unprotected for the worst public health and economic crisis in our lifetime — and now we're paying the price. pic.twitter.com/aCxcqQqUqw
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) April 18, 2020
CLAIM: “Joe Biden warned the nation in January that Trump had left us unprepared for a pandemic.”The ad cites an opinion column Biden penned that was published by USA Today on January 27.
CONTEXT: Biden wrote: “The possibility of a pandemic is a challenge Donald Trump is unqualified to handle as president.” The op-ed went on to criticize Trump’s history of favoring “reactionary travel bans.” Embedded in the commentary was a tweet from 2014 when Trump called out President Barack Obama for failing to implement such restrictions during the Ebola epidemic. Biden boldly projected “there will likely be more” than the five novel coronavirus cases that had been confirmed in the United States at that time.
CLAIM: “Then Biden told Trump he should insist on having American health experts on the ground in China…Trump never got a CDC team on the ground in China.” A video clip from the Democratic debate in South Carolina on February 25 shows Biden forcefully saying, “I would be on the phone with China making it clear we are going to need to be in your country. You have to be open. You have to be clear. We have to know what’s going on.”
CONTEXT: According to The Washington Post, the CDC first reached out to assist China as early as January 6, fifty days before Biden made those comments. The outlet reported that Dr. Robert Redfield, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “sent a letter to the Chinese offering to send help, including a team of CDC scientists. China rebuffed the offer for weeks, turning away assistance and depriving U.S. authorities of an early chance to get a sample of the virus, critical for developing diagnostic tests and any potential vaccine.”
We are in very close communication with China concerning the virus. Very few cases reported in USA, but strongly on watch. We have offered China and President Xi any help that is necessary. Our experts are extraordinary!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 27, 2020
A CDC official attempted to bypass China’s government and arrange for the transfer of viral samples between two research centers: a biocontainment lab at the University of Texas medical branch in Galveston and its international partner, the Wuhan Institute of Virology. On January 24, officials in Beijing intervened, blocking the transaction, the Post reported.
CLAIM: “But Trump rolled over for the Chinese. He took their word for it…Trump praised the Chinese 15 times in January and February as the coronavirus spread across the world.” The spot showcased a tweet from President Trump that said: “China has been working very hard to contain the Coronavirus. The United States greatly appreciates their efforts and transparency. It will all work out well. In particular, on behalf of the American People, I want to thank President Xi.!”
China has been working very hard to contain the Coronavirus. The United States greatly appreciates their efforts and transparency. It will all work out well. In particular, on behalf of the American People, I want to thank President Xi!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 24, 2020
CONTEXT: President Trump has been known to strategically make flattering remarks about controversial world leaders at uncertain times, including North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
The tweet was posted from President Trump’s account on January 24 – the same day Chinese officials had stepped in to prevent samples of the virus from reaching U.S. researchers. The Washington Post referenced a meeting in February, reporting, “the president said that if he struck a tougher tone against Xi, the Chinese would be less willing to give the Americans information about how they were tackling the outbreak.” That belief was reportedly shared by other high-ranking officials, including Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Vice President Mike Pence, who was also concerned about the possibility of China withholding medical supplies and pharmaceuticals.
According to The New York Times, Alex M. Azar, the health and human service secretary, and several “China hawks” pushed Trump to take a more hardline stance toward the country and its Communist leadership. The Times also reported that Mr. Trump’s economic advisers “were worried a tough approach toward China could scuttle a trade deal that was a pillar” of his re-election campaign.
CLAIM: “And the travel ban he brags about? Trump let in 40,000 travelers from China into America after he signed it. Not exactly airtight.”
CONTEXT: Earlier this month, The New York Times reported: “nearly 40,000 Americans and other authorized travelers have made the trip” from China to the United States since President Trump’s restrictions were put in place. The president barred non-U.S. citizens from traveling from China, but there were several exceptions. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, was reportedly opposed the idea of a travel ban around mid-January but eventually changed his mind at the end of the month along with other health experts. On January 31, Trump announced the new policy, which would take effect on February 2. The Post reported: “But by that point, 300,000 people had come into the U.S. from China over the previous month.”
CLAIM: “22 million Americans are out of work, and we have more officially reported cases and deaths than any other country.”
CONTEXT: Recent official counts show the U.S. leads the world with approximately 755,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases and more than 40,000 deaths. However, The New York Times previously reported: “The C.I.A. has been warning the White House since at least early February that China has vastly understated its coronavirus infections and that its count could not be relied upon as the United States compiles predictive models to fight the virus.”