Biden Raises Fears Trump Will Rush Unsafe Vaccine For Political Gain

The New York Times: Biden, Seizing On Worries Of A Rushed Vaccine, Warns Trump Can’t Be Trusted 
With deaths from the coronavirus nearing 200,000 in the United States, Joseph R. Biden Jr. on Wednesday assailed President Trump for playing politics with a potential coronavirus vaccine, saying he did not trust Mr. Trump to determine when a vaccine was ready for Americans. “Let me be clear: I trust vaccines,” Mr. Biden said. “I trust scientists. But I don’t trust Donald Trump, and at this moment, the American people can’t either.” (Ember, 9/16)

The Washington Post: Biden Questions Whether A Vaccine Approved By Trump Would Be Safe 
Joe Biden on Wednesday expressed reservations about whether a coronavirus vaccine approved by the Trump administration would be safe, raising doubts about the president’s ability to put the health of Americans before politics. Biden said Americans should trust a coronavirus vaccine developed under the Trump administration only if the president gives “honest answers” to questions about its safety, effectiveness and equitable distribution. “I trust vaccines. I trust scientists. But I don’t trust Donald Trump,” Biden said. “And at this point, the American people can’t, either.” (Sullivan, 9/16)

CNBC: Joe Biden Hammers Trump On Health Care And Coronavirus
“The American people right now don’t trust what the president says about things related to science,” said Biden, because of Trump’s “incompetence and dishonesty when it came to testing and personal protective equipment” in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic. “We cannot afford a repeat of those fiascos when it comes to a vaccine.”In order to shore up public trust in a government vaccine, said Biden, its rollout will need to be accompanied by “total transparency” about the research process and a review by an independent panel of scientists. (Wilkie, 9/16)

In other campaign news —

CBS News: Biden And Democrats Focus On Health Care Messaging 
This morning, Biden's campaign unveiled two new ads as part of what his team said would be a $65 million ad buy this week across multiple platforms. The first ad "Little Brother" is airing on broadcast and digital in Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. It focuses on a little boy named Beckett who was diagnosed with leukemia when he was two years old. "If Donald Trump gets rid of our health care law, my son won't be protected," his mother's voice says in the ad. "We would have to be making some tough decisions about what medications we could afford," she continues. (Conant, 9/16)

Stat: Biden-Aligned Group Outlines Potential Day 1 Drug Pricing Actions 
A leading think tank aligned with the Democratic Party is laying the groundwork for an aggressive slate of efforts to lower drug prices that could be implemented almost immediately, should Joe Biden defeat President Trump in November. In a report published Thursday, the Center for American Progress focuses on two major policy changes: the first-ever use of a controversial monopoly-busting mechanism known as “march-in-rights” to crack down on companies that overcharge for medicines, and the resurrection of an Obama-era proposal to change how Medicare pays for many drugs administered by doctors. (Facher, 9/17)

The Hill: Woman Says She's Voting For Biden Because Trump Dodged Her Question In Town Hall 
One woman said she's voting for Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden because President Trump dodged her questions during ABC News's town hall in Philadelphia on Tuesday. Ellesia Blaque is an English professor at Kutztown University and questioned the president Tuesday night about health care and what his administration can do to offer those with preexisting conditions, such as herself, who are paying over $5,000 in copays for a condition she has had since birth. (Deese, 9/16)

Dallas Morning News: North Texas Mom Details Son’s Fight With Leukemia, Urges Support For Biden In Campaign Ad
A North Texas mother is urging Americans to vote for Joe Biden, arguing that President Donald Trump’s health care policies could come at the expense of her 5-year-old son’s insurance in the middle of his battle with leukemia. “If Donald Trump gets rid of our health care law, my son won’t be protected,” Kaitlin Burge, who lives in Princeton, says in a Biden campaign ad released Wednesday. “We would have to make some tough decisions about what medications we can afford. We need a president who will protect our healthcare, and that’s Joe Biden.” (Cobler, 9/17)