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Biden says he received 2 COVID-19 tests before visiting Michigan

02 October 2020
Dan Ackermann

Joe Biden said he received two COVID-19 tests on Friday after news that President Trump and the First Lady have tested positive for the virus, and the former vice president's team cancelled one of its previously planned events for safety concerns.

Driving the news: "We wanted to make sure that we're doing everything by the numbers,"Biden said during remarks on the economy in Grand Rapids, Mich. "And so I got to two COVID tests this morning. One in Delaware and one by the former White House doc who came up. Everything is clear, we wanted to make sure everything was cleared before I came."

  • After his speech, Biden was scheduled to have an event at his campaign headquarters in Grand Rapids. "But based on the crowd size and an indoor [event], it was concluded by the docs that it's best not to do it," he said.
  • Biden and his wife, as well as Sen. Kamala Harris and her husband, have all tested negative for COVID-19.

Why it matters: Biden appeared with Trump at the presidential debate on Tuesday night and his campaign has been increasing in-person events over the last few weeks.

What they're saying: "This is not a matter of politics. It's a bracing reminder to all of us that we have to take this virus seriously," Biden said. "It's not going away automatically. We have to do our part to be responsible."

  • Biden repeated his calls for a national mask mandate and emphasized reporting from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention which estimates that 100,000 lives may be saved over the next 100 days if everyone wears a mask in public.
  • "Be patriotic," Biden said. "It's not about being a tough guy. It's about doing your part."
  • He also encouraged more people to participate in contact tracing, because "that's how you stop transmission for any epidemic. It's basic."

Earlier Friday, Biden tweeted his well wishes to Trump and FLOTUS. He reiterated those remarks in Michigan.

Go deeper: Biden tests negative for COVID-19

Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times

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Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.

Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.

The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.

  • The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.

What the transcripts say:

  • Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
  • The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
  • Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."

Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.