During the first 2020 presidential debate, at Case Western University in Ohio, President Donald Trump vowed to keep America open and accused Democratic nominee Joe Biden and his left-wing cronies of shutting down the country for political gain.
Trump won’t lockdown a second time. pic.twitter.com/pB1TRONtls
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) September 30, 2020
"[Biden] will shut it down again," Trump fired. "He will destroy this country. When you start shutting it down, you take a look at what's happening in some of your Democrat-run states will have these tough shutdowns. And I'm telling you it's because they don't wanna open it."
Then the president cited an instance where local authorities claimed to open up on Nov. 9, after the general election.
"They think they're hurting us by keeping them closed. They're hurting people," Trump continued. "People know what to do. They can social distance. They can wash their hands. They can wear masks. They can do whatever they want, but they need to open these states up."
Trump named North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Michigan among many others with governors under siege.
"You gotta open these states up. It's not fair. It's almost like being in prison," Trump described the state-level economic shutdowns amid the coronavirus pandemic, noting the upward tick in divorces and alcohol consumption.
"He'll close down the whole country and destroy our country," Trump spoke of Biden. "Our country is coming back incredibly well, setting records. We don't need someone to come in and say let's shut it down."