Former US Vice President Joe Biden speaks during the First State Democratic Dinner in Dover, Delaware, on March 16, 2019.
Can Biden win by just letting Trump be Trump?
07:15 - Source: CNN
CNN  — 

Joe Biden lambasted President Donald Trump on Tuesday for taking hydroxychloroquine, saying that doing so is “totally irresponsible.”

“It’s like saying maybe if you injected Clorox into your blood, maybe it’ll cure you. What is he doing? What in God’s name is he doing?” said the former vice president and presumptive Democratic 2020 nominee.

Medical experts question the effectiveness of the anti-malarial drug in combating coronavirus and warn of the potential for harmful side effects.

Biden added: “Look, this is absolutely irresponsible. There’s no serious medical personnel out there saying to use that drug. It’s counterproductive. It’s not going to help.”

Biden’s comments came during a Yahoo virtual town hall with renowned chef José Andrés, which focused on food security amid the fight against Covid-19.

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It was the latest example of how Biden is attempting to break through while the pandemic has knocked him off the campaign trail and turned much of the nation’s focus to Trump’s administration and the governors who are making state-level decisions about stay-at-home orders. Biden has held joint events with celebrities like Andrés and soccer star Megan Rapinoe, while also doing interviews with local television stations in swing states.

Andrés’ nonprofit organization, World Central Kitchen, is at the forefront of combating hunger during the pandemic, providing meals through restaurants to hospitals, children and the hungry. Andrés said the White House should place a food security official at the table with the National Security Council, and he called for more funding for federal programs that provide food for low-income people.

Biden said Trump should have ordered farmers to produce food that would go directly to food banks. He also said that as president he would seek increased funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or food stamps.

He said Trump had ignored the intelligence community’s warnings about the devastating effects of the coronavirus, which has led to more than 1.5 million cases and 91,000 deaths in the United States, according to data from the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering.

“This is not rocket science. It’s leadership and it’s organization,” Biden said.

He also said he would implement stricter safety regulations on meatpacking plants. “No worker’s life is worth my getting a cheaper hamburger. No worker’s life,” Biden said.

Asked if he would ask Andrés to join his potential administration in a newly created position focused on the food supply, Biden didn’t answer directly.

“I would want his input, I would want his advice and I would want to talk to him about how we increase the notion that in the wealthiest country in the world, no one should be going hungry,” he said.

Biden has frequently faulted Trump’s handling of the coronavirus crisis. Earlier Tuesday at an online fundraiser, Biden pointedly accused Trump of fanning conspiracy theories during the pandemic, saying that “the conspiracy theories across the board are like poison to democracy.”

“People are walking into the state legislative body and in front of her driveway carrying assault rifles, Nazi banners and Confederate flags, and the President is not saying a word,” Biden said.

During the town hall, Biden was also asked about Trump’s son Donald Trump Jr. posting a meme on Instagram over the weekend that labeled Biden a pedophile, and referring to the former vice president as “Creepy Joe.” He later said in separate tweets that he was “joking around” and that he “didn’t actually accuse him of that (pedophilia).”

“It’s sick,” Biden said. “But he is his father’s son.”