Former US surgeon general slams Trump over 'lack of leadership' in handling COVID-19

Former US surgeon general Dr Vivek Murthy slammed President Donald Trump over lack of leadership in handling the COVID-19 outbreak, stating that "we need a leader who inspires us to practice distancing and wear masks".

According to CNN, Murthy at the Democratic National Convention on Thursday (Local time), advised Biden's campaign on policy proposals to respond to the pandemic and how the Democratic presidential candidate and his staff hold events to reach out to voters.

"We have the talent resources and technology (to tackle the pandemic). What we are lacking is leadership. We need a leader who works with states to ensure that everyone who needs a test gets one and gets results quickly; a leader who secures a safe, effective vaccine and distributes it quickly and fairly; a leader who inspires us to practice distancing and wear masks, not as a political statement but as a patriotic duty, a commitment we make to one another," Murthy said.

"Joe Biden can be that leader and I have seen what he is like when no cameras are not around," he added.

Murthy further said that he has seen how "how he sits with people in their pain and holds them in his heart; how he pores over COVID briefings, asking smart questions, letting science guide his way, just as he did when managing the Ebola crisis."

"I can tell you Joe Biden is the man I trust and the leader I know who will heal this nation," he said further.

He also narrated a personal story of how Biden met with his family. "I saw how he kneeled beside my grandmother's wheelchair, took her hands in his, and said, 'Thank you for choosing us, the United States of America, as the place to trust with your family,'" he said further at the convention.

Earlier, former US Vice President Joe Biden has officially accepted the Presidential nomination of the Democratic Party. "It is with great honour and humility that I accept this nomination for President of the United States of America," Biden was quoted as saying by CNN.

Last week, Biden picked Kamala Harris as his running mate, with the latter being the first African-American and Indian-American woman to be nominated on a major party ticket.

The presidential election in the US is scheduled to be held on November 3.

( With inputs from ANI )