Former Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe Joins Biden for President Muslim American Call

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 2, 2020

ICYMI:
Former Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe Joins Biden for President Muslim American Call

Today, Biden for President hosted a national call with the Muslim American community. Former Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe joined the call to discuss Joe Biden’s plans and the impacts they will have on the Muslim American community.

“For 40 years, I have said, this is the most important election of all time,” said Governor Terry McAuliffe. “I believed it back then when I said it, but I really believe it today. I mean, we have to defeat Donald Trump. Our nation, our world cannot have four more years of Donald Trump … Donald Trump knew about COVID in November, December. He got an intelligence briefing on January 3rd, and he did absolutely nothing. Why? He didn’t want to affect the stock market. He wanted to run for reelection on a strong economy, and he didn’t want anything to affect it, forget that thousands and thousands of people would lose their lives — that’s not what matters to Donald Trump. Joe Biden, a plan of what we need to do. And I think the biggest challenge for Joe Biden as the next president is how we build and lead us out in the post COVID economy so that everybody benefits. For the last 40 years so many people have been left behind.

“We are a community of entrepreneurs. As we know that small businesses are really the engine of economic growth in this country,” said Dilawar Syed, CEO of Lumiata. “And when you look at the Muslim community you know, some of the numbers that you see in terms of job creation and small business ownership are just incredibly inspiring. Twenty-five percent of all Muslim Americans own a small business … This is a community of job creators, innovators, and entrepreneurs. And especially when you also look on the health care side, there are so many folks in our community out providing frontline healthcare services.”

“The Vice President has been clear in his respect for the contributions of the diverse communities of Muslim Americans that are made every day to our nation,” said Biden for President Senior Advisor for Muslim Engagement Farooq Mitha. “As small business owners, health care providers, scientists, teachers, retail workers, and many, many other fields … Our communities have experienced firsthand the damage of Donald Trump’s presidency — from the Muslim ban to vicious attacks and discrimination, increased bullying. The Vice President could not be more clear that this is not who we are and that we are in the battle for the soul of our nation. Our core values and everything that makes America America is really at stake in this election.”

Asked about Donald Trump’s leadership during COVID-19, Governor McAuliffe answered, “No, he failed. I mean, he failed on the early recognition, on the testing, on the mass and what he did is basically abdicate his responsibility as Commander-in-Chief basically said to the states, you’re on your own … He has been an abject failure as President. He has no moral core. None.”