Since the suicide bombing in Nashville on Christmas morning, Donald Trump has been silent. Nothing about the crime, the bomber, the request for aid from authorities in Tennessee, just more golf for POTUS. At Joe Biden’s first post-holiday press appearance, his first words were praise the police and first responders in Nashville.
President-elect Biden praises Nashville police department for its response to Christmas morning explosion: "Their bravery and cool-headedness likely saved lives and prevented a worse outcome, and we are eternally grateful for that law enforcement agency" https://t.co/WupOnFpfm3 pic.twitter.com/ut4QZvzqeg
— CBS News (@CBSNews) December 28, 2020
Biden also used the occasion to criticize the Trump administration for not cooperating during the transition. The Washington Post writes:
“In remarks from Wilmington, Del., Biden specifically called out the Office of Management and Budget and the Defense Department as agencies where his transition team had encountered “roadblocks” from political leadership. Biden’s remarks came shortly after he attended a briefing with nearly two dozen of his national security advisers.”
“We need full visibility into the budget planning underway at the Defense Department and other agencies in order to avoid any window of confusion or catch up that our adversaries may try to exploit. We just aren’t getting all the information that we need… It’s nothing short of irresponsibility.” — President-elect Joe Biden
Biden: "We've encountered roadblocks from the political leadership of the Department of Defense & the Office of Management and Budget. Right now, we're just not getting all the information that we need…in key national security areas. It's nothing short of irresponsibility."
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) December 28, 2020
Watch the complete Biden remarks above.