One-on-one interview with Democratic Presidential Nominee Joe Biden

MANITOWOC, Wis. (WBAY) - Democratic Presidential Nominee Joe Biden sat down for a one-on-one interview with Action 2 News Monday afternoon.

As Action 2 News has reported, Biden made a campaign stop in Manitowoc and toured the Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry in Manitowoc.

During his speech, the former vice president addressed the number of deaths in America due to COVID-19, criticizing President Donald Trump’s handling of the pandemic.

Brittany’s Question: Wisconsin just surpassed 100,000 COVID-19 cases in the state, what’s not working and what needs to be done?

Joe Biden’s Answer: “What’s not working is the president has turned all of this over to governors without all the resources. He says I don’t have any responsibility. Look, this is a man who did an interview with Bob Woodward on tape, said he knew how fatally dangerous he knew this virus was and he didn’t say a word. If he had let people know that, it would have changed things, I believe, drastically. Back in May, Columbia University of New York said if he acted one week earlier, there’d be 36,000 more people alive … we’re in a situation now where it’s estimated to be somewhere between 178,000 and 200,000 more deaths between now and January. What’s he doing? He’s holding rallies with thousands of people, cheek to jaw without masks on… So this, this is a charade. It’s about, for him, whether or not acknowledging the extent of the crisis ends up having an impact on the stock market, which is what he sees. He sees everything from Park Avenue and I see it from Scranton, Pennsylvania, where ordinary people live, where I was raised. They’re the ones who are getting hurt very badly because of his total lack of leadership”

Brittany’s Question: We don’t know when the pandemic will end or when there will be a vaccine, so how do you turn the tide, what do you do if elected President of the United States?

Joe Biden’s Answer: “He can do a lot of damage between now and January 20 when I’d be sworn in. But number one, I would make sure that we are in a position that we provide for real testing so you can test and get results back in two hours… I’d make sure that everybody had the PPE, the mask and other vital needs they have, to protect themselves as first responders. I would make sure we were in a position that we provided the wherewithal that schools would be able to open, by having more teachers, more funding for schools to sanitize the schools… he’s done none of this. In the meantime, he has withheld the money from the states.”

Brittany’s Question: President Trump is expected to announce his pick for Supreme Court later this weekend. You’ve said you won’t announce yours but does that news change your decision?

Joe Biden’s Answer: “Not at all, no president has announced his picks that early. Number 2, if I were to do that, I find myself in a position where they would be subject to intense criticism for a long time because if I am elected and enough republicans screw up the courage to say lets wait until the election is over to see who wins. If I were picked, they wouldn’t' get a hearing until January, February and it’s just not appropriate to put them in that spot.”

Brittany’s Question: If Trump’s supreme court pick goes through but you win the election, democrats take over Senate and maintain the House, would you consider adding more supreme court justices to the bench?

Joe Biden’s Answer: “It’s a legitimate question, but let me tell you why I’m not going answer that question. Because it will shift the focus, that’s what he wants, he never wants to talk about the issue at hand and he always tries to change the subject. Let’s say I answer that question, then the whole debates gonna be about what Biden said or didn’t say, Biden said he would or wouldn’t. The discussion should be about why he is moving in a direction that’s totally inconsistent with what founders wanted. The Constitution says voters get to pick a president who gets to make the pick and the senate gets to decide. We’re in the middle of the election right now, you know people are voting now. By the time this supreme court hearing would be held, if they hold one, it’s estimate 30 to 40% of American people already have voted. It is a fundamental breach of constitutional principle. It must stay on that and it shouldn’t happen.”

Every time a presidential candidate campaigns in Northeast Wisconsin, Action 2 News asks for a one-on-one interview with the candidate.

Watch the complete interview above.

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