During a White House coronavirus task force briefing, the first in nearly two months, Vice President Mike Pence claimed the country has made “truly remarkable progress” on coronavirus as the US set a record for new cases. Echoing the president, Pence blamed the rising number of new cases on increased testing.
In the last question of the briefing, Pence was pressed on whether he and the president were being hypocritical by asking Americans to follow social distancing guidelines while holding large campaign events without mandating mask usage.
The vice president reiterated that he considered the president’s rallies to be an opportunity for Americans to exercise their First Amendment rights to freedom of speech and freedom of assembly.
Pence claimed the campaign was “creating settings where people can choose to participate in the political process.”
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The president has been widely criticized for holding an indoor rally in Tulsa last weekend as Oklahoma reported an increase in new cases, and Trump held another event earlier this week in Arizona, which is grappling with a surge in new cases.
Trump and other Republicans have been hesitant to encourage widespread mask usage, and the president has previously mocked his opponent, Joe Biden, for wearing a mask.
.@VP Pence: "We have made truly remarkable progress in moving our nation forward…As we stand here today, all 50 states and the territories across this country are opening up safely and responsibly, but with cases rising, particularly over the past week throughout the South…" pic.twitter.com/2P6Uyo3YGs
— CSPAN (@cspan) June 26, 2020
Striking a notably different tone than Vice President Mike Pence, Dr. Anthony Fauci warned some parts of the country are facing a “serious problem” in terms of the spread of coronavirus.
The infectious disease expert applauded the states that have safely reopened their economies in a “prudent way that’s been effective.” But Fauci ominously added, “We are facing a serious problem in certain areas.”
Fauci expressed sympathy with Americans who have become exhausted with social distancing restrictions, but he emphasized everyone has a responsibility to limit the spread of the virus.
