DALLAS _ Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden said Thursday that President Donald Trump has failed to properly address the coronavirus pandemic and isn't the right choice to heal a nation divided by race.
Biden's statement comes hours before Trump's trip to Dallas, where the White House says he'll announce a plan for a "holistic revitalization and recovery" at a roundtable with "faith leaders, law enforcement officials and small business owners to discuss solutions to historic economic, health and justice disparities in American communities.
The president's official event is anchored by a high-dollar fundraiser that's expected to haul in $10 million.
"For months, we've seen Donald Trump botch the response to COVID-19 and the economic crisis that has followed," Biden said in a prepared statement shared with The Dallas Morning News. "Texas is now facing a massive surge in positive COVID-19 cases, with the number hospitalizations hitting an all-time high. The country, and Texas, are facing multiple crises _ yet President Trump continues to demonstrate that he's not the right leader to address any of them."
The statement pointed out that more than 1,800 Texans have died from COVID-19, while more than 2.9 million Texans have filed for unemployment. The crisis comes as protesters around the world rally against police violence targeted at minorities and for the end to systemic racism, Biden pointed out.
"Today's trip to Texas won't change any of that," Biden said. "President Trump is more interested in photo-ops than offering a healing voice as our nation mourns."
Trump's reelection campaign has been sparring with Biden for weeks over economic recovery issues.
"Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, President Trump has taken unprecedented actions to ensure that the economy is primed to bounce back," said Trump campaign spokeswoman Samantha Cotten this week. She touted the development of the $68 billion paycheck protection program and a May report that showed more people were returning to work.
"President Trump is proving once again that he is the only one suited to build up our economy," she said.
After Biden's video address at last week's Texas Democratic Party's virtual convention, Cotten accused the former vice president of not developing solutions.
"While Joe Biden hides in his basement, rather than constructively add to the national conversation, President Trump is leading Americans through the pandemic and restoring law and order," she said. "Texans want results, not lip-service from the Democrats, and they will make that clear when they reelect President Trump in November."
Trump's visit to Texas is his first campaign event since the coronavirus pandemic started three months ago. It comes as the state scrambles to regain its economic footing and the fallout from the killing of an unarmed black man, George Floyd, by a white Minneapolis police officer caught on camera holding his knee on the man's neck. Floyd pleaded that he couldn't breathe.
Polls show a tough fight for Texas, with the candidates in a statistical tie. A Democrat hasn't won a Texas presidential contest since Jimmy Carter beat Gerald Ford in 1976.
Biden hopes to beat Trump in Texas, a win that would block the GOP path to the White House and potentially pull down-ballot Democrats to victory as well.
The former vice president has been hammering Trump on his handling of the nation's recent challenges, casting himself as the level-headed leader needed to put the country back on course.
"For weeks we've seen President Trump run away from a meaningful conversation on systemic racism and police brutality. Instead, he's further divided our country," Biden said.
"He should be implementing an effective plan to reopen our communities so more Americans aren't lost to this disease," Biden said. "Families in the Lone Star State are hurting and they deserve a president who will rise to the challenges facing our country."
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