Joe Biden claims 200,000,000 have died of coronavirus in US
What's the story
Democrat Joe Biden, who is challenging President Donald Trump for the White House, made a gaffe by saying 200 million have died of coronavirus in the United States when in reality the death toll is 204,122. The 77-year-old former Vice President was speaking in Philadelphia. According to his statistics, more than half of the US' 328 million population has already died of COVID-19.
Statement
In a bid to slam Trump, Biden mouthed wrong numbers
According to Fox News, Biden said, "If Donald Trump has his way, the complications from COVID-19, which are well beyond what they should be — it's estimated that 200 million people have died — probably by the time I finish this talk." Taking his time to rectify the error, Biden added, "Like I said, as I speak we're probably passing 200,000 deaths."
Do you know?
In June, Biden declared 120 million Americans have died
This isn't the only time Biden made an error in mentioning numbers. In June, when he was speaking at Pennsylvania he said, "Now we have over 120 million dead from COVID." He then mouthed the correct death toll, which was about 120,000 at the time.
Speech
Biden slammed Trump for jeopardizing healthcare
Meanwhile, in his latest speech, Biden was hugely critical of Trump's healthcare policies. "In the middle of the worst global health crisis in living memory, Trump went before the Supreme Court trying to strip health care coverage away from tens of millions of families," he said. Drumming up support for himself, Biden said Americans are voting because they know their healthcare is under threat.
Looking back
When Biden fudged numbers, Trump took a jibe at him
Earlier, when Biden mentioned wrong numbers, Trump had mocked him, by saying, "If I ever said something so mortifyingly stupid, the Fake News Media would come down on me with a vengeance. This is beyond a normal mistake. Why isn't the media reporting it? (sic)" Notably, Trump has repeatedly questioned Biden's mental acuity, going as far as asking him to take a drug test.
Suggestion
Trump wants Biden to take drug test before debates
In a recent interview, Trump remarked that he noticed "something was strange" with Biden's progression in Democratic debates. He said when there were various Democratic candidates on stage, Biden came across as "grossly incompetent." But when Biden was faced only with rival Bernie Sanders, he seemed "okay." Saying he is "taking something," Trump called for a drug test before the first Presidential debate.