CNN anchor Jake Tapper challenged Democratic Delaware Sen. Chris Coons on Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s decision to take a day off Saturday.
Coons made an appearance Sunday on “State of the Union,” claiming that Biden — and his running mate, Democratic California Sen. Kamala Harris — had been “campaigning tirelessly” as the November 3 general election loomed ever closer. (RELATED: ‘That’s Not What The Word Constitutional Means’: Jake Tapper Pushes Back On Biden Campaign Over SCOTUS Nomination)
WATCH:
Tapper began by bringing up a campaign memo, authored by campaign manager Jen O’Malley Dillon, that told supporters the race was much closer than polling indicated. Tapper then pointed out the number of campaign stops President Donald Trump had made since returning to the trail last week and asked, “Where was Joe Biden?”
“Joe Biden takes no votes for granted,” Coons replied. “As you know, both Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have crisscrossed the country, campaigning in critical, decisive swing states —”
“Not the way President Trump is campaigning,” Tapper pushed back.
Coons protested that the way President Trump was campaigning was “unsafe,” claiming that Biden had laid out a clear plan for getting out of the pandemic. (RELATED: Chris Coons Is ‘Not A Fan Of Court Packing,’ But He’s Open To It If Amy Coney Barrett Is Confirmed)
“I take your point on the unsafe rallies that the president is having but Joe Biden didn’t have any events yesterday,” Tapper pressed again. “I’m not saying he should be having unsafe event but why is he taking a day off less than three weeks to go before the election?”
“Joe Biden has campaigned tirelessly but he has campaigned safely,” Coons said, calling Trump’s campaign events “frenzied” and accusing him of continuing to “lie, just incessantly, morning, noon and night.”
Coons concluded that polling was showing that Biden’s strategy was working, but added that nothing should be taken for granted.
“That is why I say don’t focus on the national polls. Focus on getting out and voting,” he said.
“I would just say that I think it’s pretty much the opposite of all the word ‘tireless’ to take a day off but let’s move on,” Tapper replied.