Former Vice President Joe Biden, the Democratic presidential frontrunner, said Sunday he thinks the Democrats may have to have “a virtual convention” later this summer amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“Well, we’re going to have to do a convention, may have to do a virtual convention,” Biden told ABC’s “This Week” days after the Democratic Party postponed the event until mid-August. “I think we should be thinking about that right now. The idea of holding the convention is going to be necessary, but we may not be able to put 10, 20, 30,000 people in one place. That’s very possible. Again, let’s see where it is.”
“What we do between now and then is going to dictate a lot of that as well,” he continued. “But my point is, I think you’ve just got to follow the science, listen to the experts.”
On Thursday, the Democratic National Convention Committee announced the four-day Milwaukee convention was being postponed from the week of July 13 until the week of August 17.
“In our current climate of uncertainty, we believe the smartest approach is to take additional time to monitor how this situation unfolds so we can best position our party for a safe and successful convention,” Joe Solmonese, CEO of the DNCC, said in a statement. “During this critical time, when the scope and scale of the pandemic and its impact remain unknown, we will continue to monitor the situation and follow the advice of health care professionals and emergency responders.”
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That decision came after Biden called for the convention to at least be delayed until August.
Meanwhile, the four-day Republican National Convention is set to begin on August 24 in Charlotte, just one week after the Democratic convention.
Last month, President Donald Trump told Fox News’ Sean Hannity there was “no way” he’s canceling the convention.
“We’re at the end of August and I think we are going to be in great shape long before then,” he said.
Republicans have signaled in recent days that they plan to go ahead with the convention as planned.
“The word is full speed ahead,” a Republican National Committee official told NBC News. “We’re anticipating that by the end of August everything will be absolutely fine. So we’ll be ready to rock and roll. And so there are no contingency plans.”
A Republican National Convention Committee official told NBC News last week all major public events will require “new processes and protective measures” in response to the outbreak.
In his Sunday interview, Biden also called on Trump to wear a protective mask in public after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began advising that Americans cover their faces when in public.
‘I think it’s important to follow the science, listen to the experts, do what they tell you,” Biden said, adding he will don a mask when in public. “[Trump] may not like how he looks in a mask but the truth of the matter is, that follow the science. That’s what they’re telling us.”
