ABC's David Muir presses Joe Biden: Can you win a presidential election from home? 'We will'
In an exclusive interview with ABC “World News Tonight” anchor David Muir, former Vice President Joe Biden said that he is confident that he, along with his vice presidential nominee Sen. Kamala Harris, can win the election in November, even if traditional campaigning is not an option because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“We saw the president just this week, during the convention, he traveled to Pennsylvania. He traveled to Wisconsin, Iowa, Arizona, all of that while you were making your case to the American people. I understand the restrictions of COVID and campaigning in this time. But can you win a presidential election from home?” Muir asked Biden during an interview Friday in Wilmington, Delaware.
“We will,” Biden said. “We're gonna follow the science, what the scientists tell us. We've been able to travel places when we've been able to do it in a way that we don't cause the congregation of large numbers of people.”
Biden’s campaign has remained mostly virtual in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic that forced candidates off the physical campaign trail in mid-March, and required campaign staff to reimagine their strategy to connect with voters.
The approach has been a sharp contrast to President Donald Trump’s campaign efforts, which have seen the president travel to and hold large events in several different states, most notably his rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, at the end of June.
According to the Tulsa Health Department’s executive director, the rally “more than likely” contributed to an outbreak of cases in the area shortly after it took place.
“Look what happens when -- with what's happened with his, his events -- people die. People get together. They don't wear masks. They end up getting COVID. They end up dying,” Biden told Muir.
With little more than 70 days to go until Election Day, Biden laughed off the president's suggestion that he is “afraid to leave his basement,” highlighting his campaign’s efforts to connect with voters virtually.
“Guess what? I have left my basement,” Biden said with a laugh. “[In] the meantime, 500 million people have watched what I've done out of my basement. And guess what? People are listening. People are listening. It's about being responsible.”
Harris and Biden's joint interviews, their first since accepting the Democratic nomination, was conducted by Muir and "Good Morning America" co-anchor Robin Roberts for a special edition of "20/20" called "The Ticket: The First Interview," which aired Sunday on ABC.
