Joe Biden raised a few eyebrows after he compared the coronavirus outbreak in the US with “being attacked from abroad,” prompting many to wonder if he will be held to the same standards by the media as Donald Trump is.

The first one-on-one debate between former VP Joe Biden and Senator Bernie Sanders was largely overshadowed by the coronavirus crisis raging in the US, with both Democratic candidates unloading heavily on US President Donald Trump for his handling of the pandemic.

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While the two clashed over Sanders’ ‘Medicare for All’ proposal, Biden struck a conciliatory tone, saying he “agrees with Bernie” in principle on how to deal with the health scare.

“I agree with Bernie. We’re in a situation where we have to now be providing for the hospitals that are going to be needed. We need it now.”

Biden then made a comparison that struck many as odd, essentially likening the outbreak of Covid-19, which originated in Wuhan, China in December, to a hostile invasion.

This is like we’re being attacked from abroad. This is like a war.

Netizens were quick to pounce on Biden, who previously took aim at Trump for describing the disease as a “foreign virus.”

Biden: “this is a crisis. It’s like we are being attacked from abroad.”Really? Is that the only way to describe the pandemic? Seems the issue is not the virus, it’s preparedness & ability to respond and manage. #DemDebate — Azad Essa (@azadessa) March 16, 2020

“we’re at war with a virus...this is like being attacked from abroad” biden, no — Alex Press (@alexnpress) March 16, 2020

Biden: This is like we have been attacked from abroad, this is like a war pic.twitter.com/NxIFUteTVE — o p e (@brassiest) March 16, 2020

“Labeling Covid-19 a 'foreign virus' does not displace accountability for the misjudgments that have been taken, thus far, by the Trump administration,” Biden said as recently as Thursday.

Trump has taken a lot of flak from the liberal media over his remark, including from CNN, which hosted the Biden-Sanders debate on Sunday.

Some suggested that double standards were at play at CNN, with its hosts not in a rush to challenge Biden on his words.

Biden: “We are being attacked from abroad.”Trump: “The foreign virus.”There goes that Trump criticism. — Tripp André (@arandomgamer02) March 16, 2020

Is Biden’s “this is as if we are being attacked from abroad” better than Trump’s “foreign virus”? #coronavirus#DemocraticDebate — Marwan M. Kraidy (@MKraidy) March 16, 2020

Biden says this virus is “like we are being attacked from abroad.” I do wonder if those who took issue with the President saying Coronavirus came from abroad will cry foul about this. — Matt Whitlock (@mattdizwhitlock) March 16, 2020

“Will CNN call him xenophobic like they did Trump when he called it a ‘foreign virus’?” one person asked.

The number of coronavirus cases in the US has exceeded 3,300 with at least 63 deaths. With the number of those infected soaring, Democrats have been accusing Trump of mishandling the crisis, seeking to weaponize the national emergency.

Shortly after the debate began, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) unveiled new guidelines, urging against holding mass events with 50 people or more. Parades, sporting events, festivals, concerts, conferences, and even weddings fall under the ban, which will be in effect for the next eight weeks at least.

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The set-up for the debate itself seemed eerie – the venue was moved from Arizona to CNN’s Washington headquarters, with no live audience. Sanders and Biden greeted each other with elbow bumps and proceeded to their podiums, set six feet apart in line with the ‘social distancing’ guidelines.

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