In a rare moment of bipartisanship, President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden had a private phone call to discuss the coronavirus outbreak, its impact, and possible remedies, as reported by Fox News.
It is the first known instance of any direct, private communication between the incumbent president and his opponent in the upcoming general election in November.
At his most recent daily coronavirus press briefing, President Trump acknowledged the call and said that it was “a really wonderful, warm conversation,” and “a very nice conversation.” A Biden campaign spokeswoman agreed in a statement to the press, referring to it as “a good call,” where the two men discussed “suggestions for actions the administration can take now to address the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.”
Biden had first made the offer of such a phone call last week, with representatives from his campaign finally reaching out to the White House directly on Monday; the call took place later that same day.
Joe Biden is the frontrunner for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination. Although Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is still in the race, he lags behind Biden by about 300 delegates. The primaries have all but been temporarily halted due to the spread of the virus, with many states postponing their primaries in order to adhere to “social distancing” guidelines. Wisconsin’s Democratic primary is still set to take place tonight, while Alaska’s primary, conducted by mail-in votes only, will take place later this week.