Raleigh – Ahead of Trump’s photo-op in Wilmington today, Senate Minority Leader Dan Blue, Senator Harper Peterson and Representative Yvonne Lewis Holley joined a video conference call to discuss how Donald Trump’s incompetent leadership has made the coronavirus crisis in North Carolina worse. North Carolina recently hit 170,000 coronavirus cases and has recorded more than 2,700 deaths. The state’s unemployment rate rose last month from 7.5 to 8.5 percent.

Senate Minority Leader Dan Blue

“I have never seen our state hurting the way North Carolina is hurting right now. Our nurses and doctors don’t have enough PPE that they need; we still don’t have a national testing strategy; hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians are out of work through no fault of their own; and parents fear for their children’s safety and wellbeing as we enter an uncertain school year.

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“This was always going to be a very challenging time in our state and in our country; but Donald Trump’s incompetence has compounded this crisis, and North Carolinians are paying the price for it.  My constituents, Senator Peterson’s constituents and Representative Holley’s constituents are all suffering because of this administration’s failures. […] We know this president has not gotten the job done — and he knows that too. That’s why we know what to expect when he takes the stage in Wilmington later today: lies, spin and misdirection. They’re the only tools he has left in his toolkit for the final two months of this campaign.”

Senator Harper Peterson

“Donald Trump didn’t cause the coronavirus, but he has allowed this situation to spiral, and six months into this pandemic we are still without control of the virus, which means our economy in Wilmington still cannot function normally. Throughout this crisis, we’ve seen President Trump undermine our public health experts, spread dangerous misinformation and disinformation about false treatments, and claim that the virus would “disappear” on its own. Denial isn’t leadership. The truth is, President Trump has failed communities like Wilmington, and this economic crisis has been worsened because of the decisions he has made.

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“My constituents aren’t looking for a photo op from the president right now, or a political rally; we need help. We need a leader who can step up to the plate, take on the big challenges and work across the aisle to reach solutions that will make a difference in the lives of working North Carolinians. We need some sense of certainty and clarity, unity and conviction, not confusion, misinformation or disinformation. We’ve given Donald Trump every opportunity to step up and lead, and he’s failed to meet the moment every time.”

Representative Yvonne Lewis Holley

“When this pandemic first started, Governor Cooper and our health officials in North Carolina went to the Trump administration and asked for help to ramp up the PPEs and to ask for help so that our first responders were prepared with the equipment they needed to stay safe. But we didn’t get much help from Pennsylvania Avenue. In fact, the message that the president gave is that states were on their own. And he didn’t seem very interested in North Carolina’s efforts to contain this virus.

“Well now, he’s in a desperate hunt for our electoral votes, and he seems more interested in our state than ever before. […] And now he’s talking about how much he “loves” Charlotte.  Well I can tell you, Mr. President: my constituents do not feel your love. In fact, in the last few months, North Carolinians have been shortchanged by this president. Instead of PPE, we’ve gotten mean tweets. Instead of testing kits, we’ve gotten self pity. Instead of relief for North Carolina’s business owners, we’ve gotten excuses.”