Joseph R. Biden slammed President Trump on Friday for saying doctors are over-classifying deaths as COVID-19-related in order to get paid more money.
“Did you hear what he said today? He said that our doctors, our first responders … they’re making up deaths from COVID because they get more money,” Mr. Biden said at a campaign event in St. Paul, Minnesota. “The president of the United States is accusing the medical profession of making up COVID deaths so they make more money.”
“They do their jobs…Donald Trump should stop attacking them and do his job,” Mr. Biden said.
Earlier in the day, Mr. Trump said doctors sometimes opt for chalking up a cause of death to COVID even if there’s a question of whether an infected person with cancer or another disease was going to die anyway.
“You know, in Germany if you have a bad heart and you’re ready to die or if you have cancer and you’re going to be dying soon and you catch COVID, that happens, we mark it down to COVID,” the president said at a campaign event in Michigan. “Our doctors get more money if somebody dies from COVID. You know that, right? I mean, our doctors are very smart people.”
“With us, when in doubt - choose COVID,” Mr. Trump said.
Mr. Biden made multiple references during his speech to apparent Trump supporters who were making noise near the event.
“Dr. [Anthony] Fauci called for a mask mandate last week,” he said. “This isn’t a political statement like those ugly folks over there beeping the horns. This is a patriotic duty, for God’s sake.”
Mr. Trump is also campaigning in Minnesota on Friday.
Hillary Clinton barely carried Minnesota in 2016, though the state hasn’t broken for a Republican presidential candidate since 1972.
Mr. Biden has about a 5-point lead over the president in the latest Real Clear Politics average of public polling on the state.
The former vice president said earlier in the day he’s not concerned about carrying the state, pointing out that he’s also campaigning in nearby Iowa and Wisconsin on Friday.
“I don’t take anything for granted,” Mr. Biden said.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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