Biden: Trump 'awful slow' to use power of office

Former US vice president Joe Biden on Sunday said President Donald Trump had been "awful slow" to use the powers of his office in the fight against the new coronavirus.

Biden, who has all but clinched his party's presidential nomination, sought to be uplifting and almost grandfatherly, during an online town hall from his home in Delaware which took place at the same time Trump was addressing reporters in Washington DC.

Biden said the president should have been quicker to use the powers of his office to compel private companies to make protective equipment for doctors and nurses, adding that “we should be much more aggressive”.

His tone was far less confrontational than Trump, who angrily deflected questions regarding the slow pace of the federal government’s response during a virus task force briefing at the White House.

(Picture credit: AP)