Biden's new ad attacks Trump for repeatedly downplaying the coronavirus outbreak, using the president's own words against him

• Former Vice President Joe Biden released tweeted a new video on Thursday that juxtaposed Trump's words about the coronavirus threat with the increasing number of U.S. cases.
• It previews a possible line of attack that Democrats would wield against Trump during the general election.
• In the video, Trump is seen saying "We have it totally under control" in a January 22 interview on CNBC, as superimposed text shows the first U.S. reported case of the coronavirus.
• Other clips juxtapose his remarks over the next several weeks as the total number of U.S. cases climbs.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Former Vice President Joe Biden has released a video slamming Donald Trump for his response to the coronavirus crisis by placing the president's comments about the outbreak alongside the rising tally of U.S. cases.

Though the Democratic primary remains frozen in place due to several states pushing their primaries until early June, Biden currently leads the national delegate count over Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, the only other candidate remaining.

The video previews a possible attack that Democrats, and Biden, if he's the nominee, would wield against Trump during the general election. It opens with President Trump's nationwide-televised address on March 11, where he spoke to the country about the "unprecedented" steps the administration had taken to combat the virus.

The video then asks "How did we get here?" before launching into a series of interviews that Trump gave since the outbreak first began in January.

"We have it totally under control," Trump says in a January 22 interview on CNBC, while superimposed text shows the first U.S. reported case of the coronavirus.

"It's going to disappear," Trump is heard saying in a February 27 clip from a White House meeting with African-American leaders": "One day it's like a miracle, it will disappear." Text shows the number of reported U.S. cases jumping to 60.

Towards the end of the video, the ad replays a moment from a March 20 press briefing, where Trump called NBC News' Peter Alexander a "terrible reporter" after he asked the president, "What would you say to Americans who are watching you right now, who are scared?" Biden's add flashes a tally of over 18,000 total cases.

"Real crises demand real leadership," the video concludes.

Biden has held his own virtual speeches, beamed out from his home in Delaware, where he has pitched himself as the candidate best prepared to handle the current national crisis. He also appeared on major cable news networks this week and criticized the president's handling of the coronavirus outbreak.

Biden's new video mirrors a similar ad by Priorities USA Action, a Democratic political action committee, which superimposes Trump's words over a graph that shows reported U.S. coronavirus cases increasing.

The Trump campaign called for the ad to be taken down in a cease-and-desist letter to television networks, claiming it was "patently false, misleading, and deceptive" because it appeared to stitch together two soundbites that made it sound like Trump was calling coronavirus a hoax at a February 28 rally in North Carolina.

Trump's rally remarks actually claimed that the Democrats were were politicizing the rally, in the manner that he claims they politicized impeachment.

"Now the Democrats are politicizing the coronavirus. You know that, right?" Trump said. "Coronavirus. They're politicizing it ... They tried the impeachment hoax ... and this is their new hoax."

A March 3 ad tweeted by Biden included an edit, which the Washington Post FactChecker called misleading and awarded four Pinocchios, which are considered "whoppers" for their inaccuracies.

Biden's latest ad does not make the same error, instead putting together the two audio clips, "Now the Democrats are politicizing..." and "this is their new hoax."

Get the latest coronavirus analysis and research from Business Insider Intelligence on how COVID-19 is impacting businesses.

In times of crisis, American presidents have always stepped up to meet the moment. But all we've gotten from Donald Trump are lies, excuses, and scapegoats.

Trump has failed our country at a time when we need him most. pic.twitter.com/d2vxUHGiH0

- Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) March 26, 2020