Coronavirus: Trump says US will ‘crush’ COVID-19 pandemic with vaccine by end of year
US President Donald Trump on Thursday pledged to "crush" the coronavirus pandemic with a vaccine by the end of the year, as he accepted the Republican nomination for a second term.
"We are marshaling America's scientific genius to produce a vaccine in record time," Trump said. "We will have a safe and effective vaccine this year and together we will crush the virus."
For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
During his Republican National Convention remarks Thursday, Trump claimed that “hundreds of thousands of more Americans” would have died if his Democratic opponent, Joe Biden, had been in office during the pandemic. Already, 180,000 Americans have died of the coronavirus under Trump's watch.
In 2018, the Trump administration decided to dismantle a National Security Council directorate at the White House charged with preparing for a pandemic to hit the nation. Former Obama administration officials have said the Trump White House would have been able to act more quickly to stop spread of the coronavirus had the office still been intact.
Trump also tried to claim that he, unlike Biden, will hold China “fully accountable for the tragedy they caused.” But early in the pandemic, he praised China for its transparency and said they were working hard to contain the virus.
Read more:
Donald Trump accepts Republican nomination for second term as US President
US elections: Trump to scold Biden on final night of Republican convention
US elections: White House to strike down Democratic efforts for Postal Service bill
-
Donald Trump accepts Republican nomination for second term as US President
President Donald Trump accepted the Republican Party nomination for reelection Thursday before a large crowd at the White House – and against a ... World News -
US elections: Trump to scold Biden on final night of Republican convention
US President Donald Trump prepared to attack Democratic rival Joe Biden on the Republican National Convention’s final night on Thursday, as the United ... World News -
Turkey not the cause of instability in eastern Mediterranean, Erdogan tells Trump
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said it is not Turkey that has created instability in the eastern Mediterranean in a phone call with US ... Middle East