Biden: ‘It’s time to end the politicization’ of mask-wearing
Joe Biden delivers remarks on his plans to beat COVID-19 and build the economy back in Wilmington, Del.
President-elect Joe Biden didn’t take questions from reporters after announcing his coronavirus advisory board on Monday in Wilmington, Del.
“I will be a president for every American. This election is over, it’s time to put aside the partisanship and rhetoric designed to demonize one another. It’s time to end the politicization of basic public health steps like mask-wearing and social distancing,” Biden said during the remarks. “We have to come together to heal the soul of this country so we can effectively address this crisis.”
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Biden was widely criticized during his campaign for rarely making himself available to answer questions from reporters, as he instead opted to do friendly interviews with liberal news organizations. It seems Biden’s strategy hasn’t changed as he quickly exited the stage after his remarks as reporters shouted questions.
Biden’s style of largely avoiding questions is drastically different than President Trump, who seems to enjoy sparring with hostile reporters. But the media has also been criticized, as mainstream reporters often ask Biden about things such as what flavor ice cream he was eating as opposed to the type of tough questions Trump faces regularly.
Following the remarks, political satirist Tim Young joked, “If Joe Biden refuses to take questions from the media, how will we know what flavor ice cream he's eating today?”
In the speech Monday, after he and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris met with their newly named COVID-19 transition advisory board, Biden did not give any new details regarding a possible national mask mandate.
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While Biden is proceeding with plans to combat the ongoing pandemic once he takes office, the Trump campaign on Monday said President Trump is “not backing down,” as his team mounts legal battles in a number of key battleground states where Biden led by a razor-thin margin.
Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien held an all-staff meeting at Trump campaign headquarters Monday morning.
“He still is in this fight,” Stepien said, according to multiple people who were in the room. “There is a process.”
Fox News’ Kristin Fisher, Paul Steinhauser and Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
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