Trump, Biden Paint Dire Pictures Of Pandemic’s Future If The Other Is Elected

AP: Trump Plays Down Virus As He Steps Up Pitch For Second Term
Gone are the days when President Donald Trump held forth daily at the White House podium flanked by members of his coronavirus task force. And the days when Vice President Mike Pence and other task force officials would head to Trump’s office to brief him immediately after their meetings. The White House won’t say when Trump last met with the task force. In the week since he emerged from coronavirus isolation, Trump has demonstrated new determination to minimize the threat of the virus that has killed more than 215,000 Americans and complicated his chances of winning another four years in the White House. (Madhani and Miller, 10/17)

The Hill: HHS Lawyer Warns Trump's Vaccine Discount For Seniors Could Be Illegal: Report 
A top lawyer at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is warning that President Trump's plans to provide a discount on a coronavirus vaccine once it is ready could violate federal election law, according to a new report. In an internal memo circulated this week, HHS general counsel Robert Charrow told aides that Trump's plan could open up the federal government and the Trump campaign to legal troubles, several sources told Politico. (Mastrangelo, 10/17)

AP: AP FACT CHECK: Trump's Falsehoods On Virus, Taxes And Bidens
Back fully campaigning after COVID-19 sidelined him, President Donald Trump returned to familiar form, spreading a litany of falsehoods. Over the weekend, he asserted yet again the virus was “rounding the corner” when it isn’t, misrepresented Democratic rival Joe Biden’s tax proposals and resurrected unfounded claims about Biden and the business dealings of his son, Hunter Biden, in Ukraine. (Yen, Woodward and Boak, 10/19)

Axios: Trump Warns Of Lockdowns If Biden's Elected: "He'll Listen To Scientists" 
The Biden campaign slammed President Trump after he said at a Nevada rally Sunday if his Democratic presidential rival Joe Biden were elected there'd be more coronavirus pandemic lockdowns because "he'll listen to the scientists. "What he's saying: "If I listened totally to the scientists, we would right now have a country that would be in a massive depression," Trump said. (Falconer, 10/18)

In updates from the Biden campaign —

The Hill: Biden: Trump 'Continues To Lie To Us' About Coronavirus 
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden on Sunday slammed President Trump for continuing to "lie about the circumstances" of the coronavirus pandemic. Biden reportedly hammered Trump during a rally in North Carolina for comments the president has made claiming that the U.S. is turning the corner and getting past the worst of the COVID-19 outbreak. Most states in the U.S. are seeing rates of COVID-19 infections rise. (Bowden, 10/18)

Detroit Free Press: Joe Biden Promises Accessible Health Care During Metro Detroit Visit
Americans worried about their health now and in the future can't trust President Donald Trump to keep them safe from COVID-19 or to protect their coverage, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden said Friday during a trip to Southfield. Standing in a gymnasium at Beech Woods Park in the metro Detroit suburb, Biden blasted the president and touted his own health care plans during a wide-ranging speech.  (Boucher, 10/16)

The Wall Street Journal: Where Trump And Biden Stand On Health Care 
Most of the differences between President Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden on health care align on a central dispute: Mr. Trump wants to reduce the federal government’s role in Americans’ health care, while Mr. Biden wants to expand it. Both agree that health-care costs should be reduced, but they disagree on how to address the coronavirus pandemic, health coverage, driving down prescription-drug prices and lowering insurance premiums. (Armour, 10/18)