From wilmington, delaware, saying he trusts vaccines and scientists, but not the president. This is 25 minutes. Joe biden i just finished speaking about the pandemic, the steps we need to curb the spread of the virus, and the challenges of distributing a safe and effective vaccine once one is identified. Before i turn to those issues, let me say a few words about the president s comments last night. Even before acknowledging to bob woodward on tape that he was fully informed on the gravity of the danger related to covid19, he refused to warn the American People. Again, last night, in a Television Town hall, the president revealed in no Uncertain Terms a lack of seriousness with which he continues to take this pandemic. Nearly eight months after this crisis, on the door step of 200,000 american deaths, trump refused once again to take responsibility or to take action. By his own admission, he continued to lie about covid19. He doubled down on the catastrophic mistakes that hes made. And perhaps worst of all, he made clear that he still doesnt have a plan to bring us out of this crisis. He even said, and i quote, a lot of people think that masks are not good. Undercutting the easiest, most effective means we have for reducing the spread of this disease. This virus is still taking nearly 1,000 lives a day. The forecasts show that those numbers are likely to climb this winter. But incredibly, donald trump insists that he wouldnt have done anything differently. Not one thing. Last friday we learned that another one of the thousands of americans died due to this virus and it continues to rise. The very same day that we reported 1,000 deaths on friday, the very same day, canada reported that not one person died of covid19 in canada. Trump wouldnt have done anything differently . If youre a parent in america, preparing for another day that your child cant attend school, if youre grieving the loss of a father, son, mother, daughter, husband or wife, if youre a Small Business owner who is on the brink of total bankruptcy, who cant open or cant go back to work because the virus still is spreading in your community, how does it make you feel to hear the president say he wouldnt have done anything differently . And if he gets four more years, why should we expect anything to change . All the president had to offer last night, President Trump, was the same weak and feckless inaction, the same lies and empty promises that weve seen from the very beginning. He still wont accept any responsibility. He still wont offer a plan. And last night he repeated what he said so many times before. That even if he continues to offer only failing indifference, someday the virus is going to go away by a miracle. Even if he does nothing. Its going to go away by a miracle. It wont go away like a miracle. In fact, even if we get a vaccine, it will not be available for most populations well into the 2021. You know, so were heading into a very dangerous autumn. The fact that the university of washington model, which the white house previously touted, projects that cases and deaths are going to spike this november and in addition by an additional 215,000 americans they say are going to die, beginning the spike in november, but by the first of the year, 215,000 will be dead, additional. Thats more than have already died. We need leadership right now to prevent that from happening. The same university the model shows, the university of washington model, shows that if theres universal masking, these deaths could be cut in half. Between now and the end of the year we can save 100,000 lives. Lets assume theyre off by half in all of this. 50,000 lives. 150,000 dead. Donald trumps own director of c. D. C. Told us that wearing a mask is the single most important step we can take to curb this virus. Heres what he said. He said, i might go so far as to say that this face mask, and he held up a face mask, not this one, is more guaranteed to protect me against covid than when i take a covid vaccine, end of quote. I spoke with the experts today about additional steps we can take to prevent needless death and suffering between now and a vaccine being made available. Uniform national guidelines, they said. And standards on social distancing that can be applied in particular circumstances of states and communities based on their particular circumstances. Being made ccine available. Uniform guidelines and standards in can be applied particular circumstances of based on communities their particular circumstance. If we do this between now and we can save even more lives. Lives. I also spoke with 2 experts paramountng about the importance of preparing now for swift organized and free and ibution of a safe effective covid19 vaccine when it arrives. Profoundly grateful for the researchers d the to ensurerelessly that the safe and effective vaccine becomes a reality as soon as possible. These scientists carry the hopes of our nation, our entire nation, and the entire world. When the work comes to fruition, and it will, there will be no doubt it will save lives. But scientific breakthroughs dont care about calendars. Any more than the virus does. They certainly dont adhere to election cycles. And their timing, approval and distribution should never ever be distorted by political contributions. They should be determined by science and safety alone. A vaccine would offer a way back to normalcy and a path toward better days for all of us. Not only here but around the world. Its not going to happen overnight. Once we have it, its going to take months to distribute it to the entire population. Im more hopeful than ever in the power of science to get us there. But one thing is certain. We cant allow politics to interfere with a vaccine in any way. Americans have had to endure President Trumps incompetence and dishonesty when it comes to testing and personal protective equipment. We cant afford to repeat those fiascos. When it comes to a vaccine, when it occurs. The stakes are too high. American families have already suffered and sacrificed too much. So let me be clear. I trust vaccines, i trust scientists, but i dont trust donald trump. At this moment the American People cant either. Last week senator harris and i laid out three questions this administrations going to have to answer to assure the American People that politics will not play a role whatsoever in the vaccine process. If donald trump cant give answers and his administration cant give answers to these three questions, the American People should not have confidence. If they can, they should have confidence in the transparency they need to trust the vaccine and adopt it in numbers that will make a difference. First question, what criteria will be used to ensure that a vaccine meets the scientific standard of safety and effectiveness . Whats the criteria . Second, if the Administration Green lights a vaccine, who will validate that the decision was driven by science rather than politics . What group of scientists will that be . Thirdly, how can we be sure that the distribution of the vaccine will take place safely, costfree, and without a hint of favoritism . The fact of the matter is development of the vaccine is only part of the battle. Distributing the vaccine to the entire population is as complex and challenging as one of the most sensitive military operations. Ive been calling for an effective Distribution Plan to be laid out for months. If im elected president , ill begin by implementing an effective Distribution Plan from the minute i take office. Thats what i discussed with the experts in the briefing today. They laid out a clear plan, they include a detailed time people can get the vaccine. Clear delineation of time to get the vaccine, specific needs means and mechanisms for shipping and storing vaccines at appropriate temperatures, two of those vaccines that have come forward have needed to be shipped at 70 degrees below zero. The division of responsibility has to be clear and i will provide the leadership necessary to carry out that plan. I will level with the American People, i will take responsibility, and i will support rather than tear down the experts responsible for the execution of the plan. I will simply follow the science. Its these three questions that senator harris and i have laid out so that every american can have confidence in the effectiveness of the covid19 vaccine. This is not about politics, it is about saving lives, it is about getting back to our loved ones and friends making sure they are safe. It is about getting our economy back on its feet, getting back to the movie theaters and restaurants and ballparks. It is about getting back to our lives. I am confident we can and will be united in that pursuit. No matter when that big breakthrough emerges, that is what america does best, we unite, we do it together. I am confident we will be able to. I want to thank you, god bless our scientists and researchers and our frontline workers and may god protect our troops. I am happy to take some questions now if that is ok. Everybody is sitting. Me get my list here. Ok. Abc, mary. Thank you mr. Vice president , you just said that when it comes to a vaccine you do not trust donald trump, is there a risk in that message, questioning the president on a vaccine could prevent people from trusting the science . From trusting a vaccine when there finally is one . No, because he does not have any respect for science, you saw what he said about the California Wildfires and scientists dont know, it is necessary so people can trust in the vaccine. That is why you have to have this board of scientists that say this is why we think this is a good vaccine, why it is approved and there has to be total transparency. Scientists outside the government know what is being approved, the context to which it is being approved and why it is being approved. For vaccines to work, you do need a certain amount of the population to be willing to take it, you are saying do not trust the president , trust me if i am elected. No, i am not, i am saying trust the scientists. Trust the scientists, it is one thing for donald trump to say the vaccine is safe. Ok, then give it to the board of scientists. Have total transparency so independent operators can come out and take a look at it. What did you base the decision on . What did you do . Did you pressure the head of the fda . Did you pressure whomever . Im not saying he would or will, but that is what has to happen. You all know the polls better than i do, a lot of the people right now do not trust with the what the president says about things related to science. And if the Scientists Say a vaccine under the president s watch is safe and effective absolutely, do it. If those three questions i laid out can be answered, yes, absolutely. Katlyn, cbs. Thank you mr. Vice president. You say you do not trust the president , does that mean you also do not trust the cdc and the fda currently . No. I do not trust some of the people like the fellow who just took a leave of absence from the cdc. He did not run it, but he was a spokesperson. When i met with the seven scientists today on screen in this room, they told me the people they had worked with in the cdc and the fda there were some very good people in the ranks. Everyday folks not every day, their scientists, there are some very good people. They have been pressured, the heads of the agencies have been in fact moved, moved to say yes or say this will work or that will work. It is a simple proposition, if a vaccine is ready to go, it should be totally transparent the basis upon which that decision was made, what scientists have looked at within the government and outside of the government and said this is a useful, safe vaccine to take. That is all im saying, that is going to be necessary i suggest a matter what i said in this process because all the polling data shows now only 34 of the American People say trump is the same guy that said to inject bleach. There is a reason why they are not so certain. Quick question on the economy, the fed announced that unemployment are going to be lower than expected. In polling we see time and again that President Trump has an edge over you on the economy. Why do you think that is . I have been out of office for four years, that is a long time. We actually created more jobs in the last three years of our ministration then he did in the first four of his. There are fewer people at risk, i think it is a matter of my being able to communicate, my position on jobs and trade and what i would do. For example, the wto just ruled that his trade policies were illegal. Guess what, we went in 1416 times and won every single time. Why should every american remember that . Part of it is reminding people and laying out for them a what my plans for economic recovery is. If people have questions about the economic fallout from the pandemic now, you have said that you would have acted earlier. What do you say to people who might question how the Economic Impact could have been different even if you acted earlier. Social distancing and closing you would not have the rates of infection, you would not have the thousands of people a day to die. We need a national guidance. You may very well the able to open up in a rural area, not an area that is so much of a problem or vice versa. We have not laid out this administers and has not laid out the criteria. There is no National Criteria. What is the National Criteria for opening schools . They still dont have one, we need that. You need to be sure that you can open safely, securely. You can have social distancing, you can have the wearing of masks, smaller classes, a whole range of things. Yet why wont he lay out the guidance . Even the cdc initially had guidance, you talk about the political medication. The president said testing causes more cases, it is about being honest. He loves to quote churchill, he loves to quote roosevelt. Roosevelt said in a crisis it is going to work and worse and worse until he gets better and better and better. The American People are strong, give it to them straight, they can handle everything. That is what i will do. Cnn, jessica. Thank you mr. Vice president , you mentioned the cdc directors comments this morning about the vaccine about masks and how critical they are. You previously called for a National Mask mandate, if you are elected, what steps would you take to put that in place and how would that work . I found it fascinating the president said biden did not put in a mask mandate. I am not the president , he is the president. Bidens problems and the cities are in flames, im not the president. I would call the governors to the white house and say there is a question that i think they could be answered in the positive, a question whether i can mandate over state lines of every single state. Our legal team thinks i can do that based upon the degree to which there is a crisis in those states and how bad things are for the country and if we dont do it what happens . I would make the case, i would make the case why it is necessary. I would have the scientists lay out in detail why, i would go to every governor and i would go to governors and i would say we have to have this national mandate. We must do it. The minimum what i would do, i would not walk around saying masks dont matter like he said in the town hall. People dont like masks, matter of fact, they could be worse, and he said because waiters do not like it. What would happen if a republican governor pushed back on you on this . How do you get a bite when it has become so politicized, would you sign an executive order . The question is if i have the Legal Authority to sign an order, i cannot guarantee that. If i did, i would. Number five, ihave to call on my hometown. In terms of the distribution of the virus, communities of color have been affected, would they get access to the virus first . How would that work in the description of americans available to get the virus. Based on the proposal laid out and the National Science foundations coordinating with the cdc and other agencies, they indicate that the first group of people that should get a vaccine if and when it is available are people at the greatest risk. That includes everything from Nursing Homes to people with serious preexisting conditions that would cause people to be in real trouble. A lot of those people happen to be black and brown. So, it would be based upon the degree of exposure. It would go first though, i would argue, as laid up for me today to first responders, doctors, and nurses. The people who are most most needed to have available. That would be the first and it would move to the least one thing that has not happened yet, im not a scientist, but i think i am wellinformed on this issue. There have been no tests yet on children, so children, ironically, may be the last people to get the vaccine because it will take time. They indicated to me 2021 to be able to do the kind of testing on children. Children are less likely, it is more likely that their teachers and the elderly grandparents would be exposed. So, first we go to the people most susceptible. Children are going to have to be part of this, but there is a lot more work to be done. Today the government released a plan on how they would a loose plan on how they would distribute the vaccine. Would you go with a court of the federal government put in place . They have not put one official in place, what i would do is make sure from all of the experts to make sure what is the most rational means of distribution. There are two types of vaccines being worked on now. One is an rna model that are done by two of the operations i think moderna and the other changes the cell structure. One deals with the mrna, that requires two injections and it requires to be stored at 70 degrees below zero. In addition to all of this, there are mechanical issues as to how and where the vaccine is lets say the moderna one is picked, assuming that the vaccine is approved, it is a very significant problem of how you distribute that vaccine. You have to ship it in bulk if it is the mrna version. That means thousands at a time kind of thing, it will go to hospitals and major distribution centers. It is not going to go to your doctor. My it will not be like your flu shot, i got my flu shot at walgreens, you could not do that because you cant do it in small lots. You have to have two shots. My generic point is there are a lot of not only what is safe to do, but distribution issues that are consequential and matter a lot. It is not like if i told you tomorrow, if i were president and said we have approved the following two vaccines or one vaccine. The vaccines likely to be approved so far start off with a group of 10,000 doses all the way to 60,000 doses. There are millions of people. It takes time is what i am saying. It has to be done fairly and well. It cannot be based on your tax returns figuratively speaking, it has got to be based on who is most vulnerable. Thank you also very very much, thank you. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap. Org] [captions Copyright National cable Satellite Corp 2020] just the debate last week,rump just sloopy joe accepted the pro criminal the antipolice portland district ttorney who has a policy of releasing rioters, vandals, and extremers. He lied to the American People. About the threat imposed to the country for months. Information. He knew how dangerous it was. Disease s dangerous ripped through our nation he purpose. O do his job on it was a betrayal of the American People. Watch tuesday september 29 at cspan on 9 00 p. M. Eastern and watch all of cspans debate on on e either live. Org debates. Span cspanl debates from the video library. And there are campaign videos, candidate information and results. Go to cspan. Org debate or on the free cspan radio app. Cspan. Unfiltered view of politic politics. Washington journal. Every day were taking your calls live on the air, news of discussing policy issues that impact you. Coming up thursday morning, new democratic congresswoman ann mcclain custer, a energy of the commerce ommittee on the trump administrations pandemic response. Then kansas republican senator about kets talks thursdays opening of the dwight d. Eisenhower memorial in and arkansas c. , republican congressman bruce resources the house committee, talks about the change. S and Climate Watch cspan washington journal thursday morning and join in the discussion with your phone text facebook comments, tweets. S and president s trump held a News Conference from the white house federal addressed the and states response to hurricane sally. He also congratulated the big 10 resuming College Football and updated the press on the current coronavirus numbers. The president also responded to remarks by former Vice President own head of his the cdc,r