Joe Biden says he's 'frustrated' by push to reopen states, calls Trump's response 'ridiculous'

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Biden doesn't think staying home during COVID-19 is hurting his campaign

2020 hopeful Joe Biden says he's trying to set an example for Americans during the pandemic; Peter Doocy reports.

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2020 Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden said Tuesday that President Trump has not provided the necessary "materials" to reopen America's economy during the coronavirus pandemic and that he was "getting frustrated" with those pushing to do so.

In an interview on "Good Morning America" with ABC News' George Stephanopoulos, Biden said that while everyone wants the nation to reopen, they need to do so rationally and with the science behind them.

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"I'm getting frustrated with – not you – with this, the whole notion that somehow there is ... we could just open, we could move," he stated.

Forty-three states now have committed to a partial opening, allowing nonessential businesses like restaurants and retail to begin again. Seven others – including New York, the virus's epicenter – are reopening under a limited scope. Washington, D.C., remains mostly shutdown.

The president – who has repeatedly pushed for states to reopen their economies, a large issue for his 2020 campaign – tweeted Monday that Democrats are moving too slowly to reopen their states for “political purposes.”

However, national health guidelines say states should see a “downward trajectory” in coronavirus cases over at least 14 days before reopening. According to an analysis by The New York Times, case numbers are still going up in more than half of the 30 states that have begun reopening or plan to reopen shortly.

Ultimately, the decision is still up to governors.

“Do you believe states are opening up too quickly or too slowly?” Stephanopoulos asked. “If you were president right now, what would you be telling governors to do?”

“I would be telling governors to listen to Dr. Fauci,” Biden replied. “Listen to the scientists. Listen to what the facts are.”

"Look, this president has to focus on what’s going on here. We’re in a situation where there’s a great crisis. Dr. Fauci talks about if we open needlessly — or open soon, there will be needless deaths. And we have to have things in place," he continued further.

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"Everybody wants to open, George. The governors want to open, but they want to open in a rational way," he remarked.

"The president hasn’t done his work. The president hasn’t done what he’s supposed to do. He hasn’t provided the materials. He hasn’t provided — I mean, this is ridiculous, the way he's talking about [it]."