Joseph R. Biden Jr. and President Trump spoke on Monday about the coronavirus pandemic, a rare direct conversation between the incumbent president and his likely Democratic challenger. Mr. Biden, who has been harshly critical of Mr. Trump’s handling of the crisis, had offered to speak with Mr. Trump in recent days. The two connected after Mr. Biden’s team renewed efforts to reach out to the White House on Monday following a tweet by Mr. Trump that read, “What ever happened to that phone call he told the Fake News he wanted to make to me?”At the White House on Monday evening, Mr. Trump called it a “really wonderful, warm conversation.”“We just had a very friendly conversation,” Mr. Trump said. “Lasted probably 15 minutes. And it was really good, it was really good, really nice.” The president added, “I appreciate his calling.”Kate Bedingfield, a deputy campaign manager for Mr. Biden, also called it a “good call.”Ms. Bedingfield said that Mr. Biden “shared several suggestions for actions the administration can take now to address the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and expressed his appreciation for the spirit of the American people in meeting the challenges facing the nation.”

Source: New York Times April 06, 2020 21:26 UTC