⁍ Democratic candidate Joe Biden criticized what he called President Donald Trump’s ‘panicked’ response to the coronavirus pandemic.
⁍ The rivals spoke in simultaneous town halls broadcast on separate television networks.
⁍ The split-screen showdown offered a stark reminder of the many ways the campaign season has been changed by a pandemic.
– The first presidential debate was called off because of Donald Trump’s illness, but that didn’t stop him and Joe Biden from holding town hall-style meetings on the same network Thursday night. CNN reports Biden accused Trump of “panicking” in response to the coronavirus. “He said he didn’t tell anybody because he was afraid Americans would panic. Americans don’t panic. He panicked,” Biden said on ABC’s This Week with George Stephanopoulos. Trump, speaking on NBC’s Meet the Press, defended his response to the virus. “Hey, I’m president—I have to see people, I can’t be in a basement,” he said. Biden also accused Trump of not telling the American people the deadline to wear masks during a White House event where many attendees contracted the virus. “He said he didn’t tell anybody because he was afraid Americans would panic,” Biden said. “Americans don’t panic. He panicked.” The candidates will hold a final debate on Oct. 22.
Source: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election/in-split-screen-town-halls-trump-and-biden-squabble-over-coronavirus-response-idUSKBN2700H7