Biden calls Trump 'absolutely irresponsible'

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden expressed shock Tuesday that President Donald Trump is taking the drug hydroxychloroquine as a supposed preventative measure against the coronavirus.

"This is absolutely irresponsible," Biden told a Yahoo News town hall on Tuesday night. "What in God's name is he doing?"

Trump said Monday he had been taking hydroxychloroquine and a zinc supplement daily “for about a week and a half now,” after two White House staffers tested positive for the coronavirus.

The President has spent months pushing hydroxychloroquine as a potential cure or preventive drug for COVID-19 against the cautionary advice of many of his administration’s top medical professionals.

Biden also responded to Trump's claim that former President Barack Obama committed unspecified crimes as president. Trump has repeatedly tweeted 'OBAMAGATE!' without presenting any evidence.

"This is his pattern: diversion, diversion, diversion, diversion, diversion," Biden said. "Don't speak to whatever the issues before us are. My God, 'Obamagate'," Biden said.

The claims have become a rallying cry among Trump supporters, while Democrats view it as a desperate attempt to shift the focus from the president's handling of the coronavirus outbreak and the soaring US unemployment rate.