WILMINGTON, Del. — Joe Biden said Wednesday that while he trusts what scientists say about a potential coronavirus vaccine, he doesn’t trust President Donald Trump.
His comments come as the debate over a vaccine — how it will be evaluated and distributed when it’s ready — has taken center stage in the presidential race with seven weeks to go until the November election.
Trump and Biden have been trading accusations that the other is undermining public trust in a potential coronavirus vaccine. Biden has expressed concerns that the vaccine approval process could be politicized, while Trump and his allies counter that such comments from Biden and other Democrats are turning off the public to a potentially lifesaving vaccine when it’s released.
Biden, speaking in Wilmington, Del., after being briefed by public health experts about a potential vaccine, cited Trump’s “incompetence and dishonesty” surrounding the distribution of personal protective equipment and coronavirus testing. The U.S. “can’t afford to repeat those fiascos when it comes to a vaccine,” he said.
“I trust vaccines, I trust scientists, but I don’t trust Donald Trump,” Biden said, “and at this moment, the American people can’t, either.”
