WASHINGTON • US Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden's campaign strove on Sunday to keep its focus on the nation's response to the coronavirus pandemic, as President Donald Trump received treatment for Covid-19 in hospital.
Mr Biden, who shared a debate stage with Mr Trump last Tuesday, tested negative for the virus again on Sunday, following two negative tests last Friday, the day Mr Trump disclosed his infection.
The former vice-president and his wife Jill yesterday resumed in-person campaigning in Florida, where opinion polls show a tight race for the state's crucial 29 electoral college votes just weeks ahead of the Nov 3 election.
Mr Biden has repeatedly wished the President a speedy recovery. But the former vice-president and his aides have also used Mr Trump's positive test to underline a consistent campaign message: Mr Biden would handle the pandemic better than his Republican rival.
In a video posted on Twitter, Mr Trump said he had "learned a lot about Covid" while at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre outside Washington. "I learned it by really going to school - this is the real school... And I understand it."
Mr Tony Blinken, the Biden campaign's foreign policy adviser, shot back that Mr Trump's realisations about Covid-19 were "devastating" at this late stage. "The time to do that was 200K deaths ago, not when it affected you. We all wish you well but also wish you had done your job. Please do it now," he tweeted.
Mr Trump's campaign has begun describing the President as a "warrior" in messages to supporters that call for donations.
On Sunday, Mr Trump, 74, rode briefly in a motorcade outside his hospital to wave to supporters, igniting criticism that he was putting others at risk.
His aides have continued to criticise Mr Biden's cautious approach to the virus.
Mr Jason Miller, a Trump campaign senior adviser, mocked Mr Biden, 77, on Sunday for consistently wearing a face mask, telling ABC's This Week that the Democratic presidential challenger was using masks "as a prop".
But Biden deputy campaign manager Kate Bedingfield said the Democratic nominee "has led by example", citing the campaign's use of masks and social distancing.
The United States has posted 7.4 million coronavirus cases and more than 209,000 deaths in the pandemic, more than any other country.
Voters could judge harshly an approach that continues to downplay the seriousness of the virus, said Mr Kelly Dietrich, a Democratic strategist and founder of the National Democratic Training Committee, a group that trains party candidates.
"This has touched every American's life," he added.
REUTERS
