Trump and Biden Spoke by Phone About Coronavirus Response

President Trump said he had a “friendly” conversation with Democratic presumptive nominee, former Vice President Joe Biden about the U.S. response to the coronavirus pandemic.

“I also spoke just a few minutes with former V.P. Biden, who called. We had a really wonderful warm conversation. We talked about pretty much this. This is what we talked about. This is what everyone’s talking about. This is what they want to talk about.”We had a really wonderful, warm conversation,” Trump said on Monday’s Coronavirus Task Force Press Briefing.

“He gave me his point of view, and I fully understood that. We just had a very friendly conversation,” Trump said, adding that the call “was really good, really nice” and lasted roughly 15 minutes.

Both President Trump and Biden spoke by phone Monday afternoon about the federal government’s coronavirus response.

“Vice President Biden and President Trump had a good call. VP Biden shared several suggestions for actions the Administration can take now to address the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and expressed his appreciation for the spirit of the American people in meeting the challenges facing the nation,” Kate Bedingfield, Biden’s deputy campaign manager and communications director, said in a statement.

The former Vice President has been constantly critical of Trump’s response, saying that the president failed to properly prepare the country for the pandemic and has been too slow to take action. Biden offered to speak with Trump last week about the country’s strategy, and Trump told reporters that he would take the call.

Earlier on Monday, Trump chided Biden in a tweet after the former vice president floated the idea of a virtual Democratic National Convention in the summer and asked why he hadn’t called him.

“Joe Biden wanted the date for the Democrat National Convention moved to a later time period. Now he wants a ‘Virtual’ Convention, one where he doesn’t have to show up. Gee, I wonder why?” Trump tweeted. “Also, what ever happened to that phone call he told the Fake News he wanted to make to me?”

Biden offered to call Trump last week to discuss ways to combat the coronavirus pandemic after White House counselor Kellyanne Conway criticized the former Vice President for not calling the White House and “offer some support.”

“I think it’s really disappointing to have President Obama’s number two, who apparently doesn’t talk much to him, out there criticizing instead of saying, hey, here’s what we did that we thought was effective,” Conway said on “Fox & Friends” last Wednesday morning. “Why doesn’t Vice President Biden call the White House today and offer some support? He’s in his bunker in Wilmington, and I have to tell you we’re not talking about politics here at the White House at all. We’re talking about ventilators and vaccines, not Biden and Bernie.”

When asked if he would take a call from the former Vice President, Trump said he would “absolutely.”

“Oh absolutely. I’d love to speak to him,” Trump said last Wednesday at the White House coronavirus briefing. “If he’d like to call, I’d absolutely take his call.”