The outgoing president once declared victory over the pandemic, praised the new vaccine as a `medical miracle` and congratulated himself for doing something `no one has ever done before`.
`We are here to talk about great national achievements,` President Donald Trump said at the White House in Washington, DC on December 8.
While the president preparing to succeed declared the pandemic more dangerous than ever, viewing it as a `mass casualty` event that is leaving a `huge hole` for America with more suffering to come.
`We are facing a very dark winter,` Joe Biden said at an event in Wilmington, Delaware on December 8.
Rarely in the same period of one day have Americans witnessed two contradictory messages from America’s two highest leaders about the Covid-19 national crisis.
President Donald Trump at the signing ceremony of an executive order prioritizing vaccines for Americans at the White House on December 8.
Peter Baker, editor of the NYTimes, commented that it would be difficult to find any situation that shows a clearer difference between the 45th and 46th presidents of the United States than the two speeches sent from Washington and Wilmington on January 8.
If Trump tried to show the American people victory in the Covid-19 war, Biden showed sympathy for the pain of loss, urging people to wear masks and warning that the `mess` were not going quickly.
At Trump’s event, dozens of officials and guests crowded into an auditorium, most wearing masks.
At Biden’s event, where he officially announced the advisor and candidate in charge of health for the new administration, only a few people attended, all wearing masks and maintaining a safe distance.
The two contrasting pictures between Trump and Biden are portrayed even more clearly, as the US has witnessed a sharp increase in the Covid-19 wave in recent weeks.
The new vaccine could be authorized for emergency use in the next few days, but the first doses are only for frontline healthcare workers and groups at high risk of infection.
More than 53,000 Americans have died from the pandemic since November 3 and the country may have to record an additional 97,000 deaths from nCoV until January 20, when Biden takes office as US president.
While Biden tries to send many anti-epidemic messages, Peter Baker commented that President Trump is `forgetting` the reality of the pandemic in the US because he is `engrossed` in vaccine achievements.
However, the President is not completely wrong in `taking credit` for the vaccine because the administration promoted the Operation Warp Speed project, and the current Covid-19 vaccine is being developed at a much faster rate than any other.
`No one ever thought we could do this in less than 9 months. We faced a lot of criticism when we said this was our goal,` President Trump said on August 8.
Trump added that `now we want to return to normal life as it was over nine months ago, when we did very well in many respects.`
When a reporter asked about the anti-epidemic message for Americans while waiting for the vaccine to be disseminated, President Trump brushed it off and noted that the instructions given by medical experts were very important, before quickly turning away.
Trump also dismissed concerns about the Christmas parties he held in the White House in recent days.
Joe Biden at the announcement of the nomination of health officials for the future administration in Wilmington, Delaware on December 8.
Meanwhile in Wilmington, Biden portrayed a completely different picture of Covid-19, with fragments of suffering and loss.
Unlike Trump, Biden directly addressed the victims of the pandemic.
`We’ve been living with the pandemic for so long, we’re in danger of becoming paralyzed because it affects all of us. You know we’ve resigned ourselves to the feeling of not being able to do anything, of not being able to believe it.`
Biden added that he would `credit everyone` involved in vaccine development, saying `vaccine development is a paramount task.`
However, Biden believes that vaccines are not enough.
`We need your help,` Biden said.
When faced with the prospect of taking over a country ravaged by a pandemic, Biden also tried to find a way to send his message with hopes, promising to turn suffering into a commitment to action.