Speaking for just over 17 minutes, Biden did everything that Trump should have done, but failed to do, in his address to the nation.

After delivering his thanks to the first responders already putting themselves on the line, and expressing his concern for those already suffering, Biden delivered the usual litany of prescriptions for dealing with the coronavirus on a personal basis—stay home if you’re sick, wash your hands, rethink deeply ingrained habits such as handshakes and hugs.

But Biden’s prescription for the nation went far beyond hand sanitizer. Repeatedly, Biden insisted that the nation should be “led by science” and should look to the counsel of experts when determining policy. Noting that the World Health Organization had officially designated COVID-19 a pandemic, Biden went on to say, "Downplaying it, or being overly dismissive or spreading misinformation" will only result in greater damage. And Biden called out the elements of xenophobia in Trump’s speech, saying that “labeling COVID-19 a 'foreign virus' does not displace accountability for the misjudgments that have been taken so far by the Trump administration.”

“The coronavirus,” noted Biden, “does not have a political affiliation. It will affect Republicans and Democrats alike.” Biden warned that neither wealth nor position was protection against being infected, or against suffering a severe risk to health.

When it came to the travel restrictions that were the only real policy offered in Trump’s speech, Biden described them as something that might “slow, but will not stop” the spread of coronavirus. He also said that when those restrictions are based on “favoritism rather than risk,” they will do more harm than good—a clear reference to Trump’s continuing to allow free travel between the U.S. and the U.K. even as countries with far fewer cases were restricted.

Biden spent a good portion of his speech laying out his own plan to deal with the crisis. In doing so, he said that he was not providing a plan for what “he would do 10 months from now,” but instead offering it as a road map for what should be done today.

That plan takes a three-pronged approach: curb the spread, supply treatment, and provide an economic response.

To start with, Biden declared, “Anyone who needs to be tested should be tested at no charge.” He called Trump’s failure to provide adequate testing “colossal,” saying that it was “a failure of leadership, planning, and execution.” And even as the White House continues to be evasive about the availability of tests, and to provide extremely mixed messages on their availability, Biden demanded that there should be a website showing at all times the number of tests ordered, the number of tests completed, and the number of tests with positive results.

In addition, Biden called for "hundreds of mobile testing sites, at least 10 per state, along with drive-through testing sites." All of this is intended to mimic the best practices seen elsewhere, allowing the true extent of the outbreak to be measured and mapped, so that there is a chance to contain it.

Even more importantly, Biden addressed the need to prepare the nation’s healthcare services for an influx of new patients and the need for critical care. Biden called for a “surge in capacity” to make sure that communities across the nation have additional beds available and that healthcare professionals have protective gear. He called for the use of both FEMA and the Department of Defense to provide facilities and logistical support. "A week from now, or a month from now, we may need an instant 500-bed hospital in any city," said Biden. He expressed his belief that, with the help of the DoD and FEMA, that need could be met.

Biden also called on agencies to accelerate the development of treatments. He explicitly recognized that vaccines take months to develop and many more months to test, but he called on the FDA and other agencies to fast track the testing of therapeutic drugs, such as antivirals, that may provide more immediate relief. And Biden called for the restoration of the Directorate for Global Health Security and Biodefense at the National Security Council, a group formed during the Obama administration and "designed for exactly this scenario," but eliminated by Trump in 2018.

On the economic side of the policy, Biden’s plan was also radically different from that of Trump. "We must do whatever it takes, spend whatever it takes," said Biden, to protect families and secure the economy. "This crisis will hit everyone, but it will hit people who live paycheck to paycheck the hardest. Another tax cut ... will not get the job done." He specifically mentioned workers in the gig economy, parents needing child care, children who depend on school lunches, students who don't have internet access for online schooling, and those in need of help with rent or mortgage payments because they have lost work during this crisis. And Biden called for assistance to small businesses affected by the cancellation of events.

At a state and local level, Biden called for the creation of an emergency fund that would give governors and mayors a resource for addressing needs specific to their areas. On an international level, Biden called for rebuilding the international connections that allowed for a consistent approach to Ebola in 2014—an approach that prevented it from becoming a global pandemic. Responding to Trump’s plan to seal off America, Biden said, “We will never solve this problem unless we're willing to look beyond our own borders.”

Biden finished by calling again for leadership through science, listening to experts, and heeding good advice—even if it’s not politically expedient advice. “We must prepare now to take broader decisive action ... we can only protect the health of our economy if we protect the health of our people."

Overall, Biden provided a massive contrast with Trump. Every American should be required to watch them side by side.