Former U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden lashed out at his presidential rival on Monday, saying President Donald Trump bears responsibility for becoming infected with COVID-19 as a result of his frequent refusal to wear a mask while around others.
"Look, anybody who contracts the virus by essentially saying, ‘masks don’t matter; social distancing doesn’t matter’ — I think is responsible for what happens to them," Biden told reporters at a town hall meeting in Miami.
The town hall took place in front of a socially distanced audience. Biden said that if those in attendance took off their masks and crowded around, they too would bear responsibility for what happened.
Biden’s comments came shortly after Trump left the Walter Reed Military Hospital after three days of being treated for a coronavirus infection that was disclosed early Friday. Melania Trump, the first lady, also tested positive.
Biden, who is leading Trump in national polls and several swing state surveys, has previously wished both the president and the first lady a speedy recovery.
The Trump campaign didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on Biden’s remarks.
In a video that Trump posted to Twitter shortly after leaving the hospital on Monday, he acknowledged that his actions led to his contraction of the virus, but defended them as necessary.
On Monday, Biden said that he was happy to hear that Trump’s doctors said his condition was improving. But he said that, given his experience with the president, he was not shocked to learn he had become infected.
