As Trump dwells on protests, Biden to highlight school safety amid
pandemic
Send a link to a friend
[September 02, 2020]
By James Oliphant
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic nominee
Joe Biden will attempt to shift the focus of the U.S. presidential race
back to the coronavirus and President Donald Trump’s handling of the
pandemic during a Wednesday campaign event on safely reopening the
nation’s schools.
The health crisis, which has killed more than 184,000 Americans, has
been overshadowed in recent days by civil unrest in Portland, Oregon,
and Kenosha, Wisconsin, where police shot Jacob Blake in the back last
week, triggering protests.
Biden and Trump, a Republican, have offered dueling arguments ahead of
the Nov. 3 election over which candidate can keep the country safe.
Trump visited Kenosha on Tuesday, where he accused Democrats of
fostering the sometimes violent protests over racial injustice and
police brutality that have rocked the nation for months after the death
of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody.
But as millions of elementary and high school students across the
country begin a new school year either virtually or in-person, the Biden
campaign plans to hold a briefing by medical experts in his hometown of
Wilmington, Delaware, on Wednesday, outlining how schools can open again
with a minimum of risk.
Reopening schools amid the pandemic has been a top priority of Trump’s
as well, although Biden’s team has maintained he has pushed for it
recklessly. “He isn’t listening to experts or scientists,” said Symone
Sanders, a Biden adviser. “He’s barreling forward trying to reopen
schools because he thinks it will help his re-election.”
[to top of second column]
|
U.S. Democratic presidential nominee and former Vice President Joe
Biden speaks about safety in America during a campaign appearance in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. August 31, 2020. REUTERS/Alan
Freed/File Photo
Biden has called for Congress to authorize more funding to aid state
and local school districts as they struggle to provide services for
students amid the economic downturn.
Trump on Wednesday will travel to North Carolina, which like
Wisconsin, is an election battleground. There, he will make remarks
commemorating the 75th anniversary of the ending of World War II.
(Reporting by James Oliphant; Editing by Aurora Ellis)
[© 2020 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2020 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content. |