Biden ad rakes Trump over COVID response 4 years ago

President Biden’s campaign hit former President Trump over his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in a new ad Thursday, answering his rhetorical question if Americans are better off now than four years ago with a resounding, “Yes.”

The ad opens to a screenshot of Trump’s Truth Social post last week urging voters to compare Biden’s administration to where the country was in March 2020, alongside news footage of empty grocery store shelves.

It is interlaced with clips of Trump downplaying the then-nascent COVID-19 pandemic, including his suggestion for people to inject themselves with disinfectant and claims that he was not responsible for the rapidly increasing deaths from the virus.

The Biden campaign has latched on to four-year comparisons in recent weeks, with the onset of the virus in the U.S. reaching its fourth anniversary earlier this month. The president has doubled down on the position multiple times on campaign stops as well, hitting Trump in Dallas and Houston on Wednesday and Thursday.

“Speaking of Donald Trump, just a few days ago, he asked the famous question at one of his rallies: Are you better off today than you were four years ago?” Biden said at a Dallas event Wednesday.

“Well Donald, I’m glad you asked that question man because I hope everyone in the country takes a moment to think back when it was like in March of 2020,” he said.

Biden also encouraged the fundraiser crowd to remember Trump’s promises for a second term and described a bleak future if he were to win election in November.

“The problem isn’t just going back to where Trump had the country. It’s where he wants to take us now,” Biden said. “Look to what he’s saying. I hope we’re all going to take it seriously. He means what he says. As crazy as it sounds, he means what he says.”

“Folks, it’s not about me. It’s about him,” Biden added.

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