Updated at 4:25 p.m. ET
The leading Democratic presidential candidates slammed the Trump administration on Thursday for its response to the worsening coronavirus pandemic.
The remarks come hours after President Trump addressed the nation about his administration's response to the pandemic and as he continues to defend his approach.
But Sen. Bernie Sanders blasted Trump in prepared remarks in his hometown of Burlington, Vt.
"We have an administration that is largely incompetent, and whose incompetence and recklessness have threatened the lives of many, many people in our country," Sanders said.
Sanders called on the White House to declare a national emergency. "We need an emergency response to the current emergency, and we need it immediately."
Also speaking from his home state, former Vice President Joe Biden said the Trump administration's "failure on testing [potential cases] is colossal."
"We must know the true extent of this outbreak," Biden added.
The nation's coronavirus testing capacity has been widely criticized by public health experts. One Harvard University global health scholar told NPR that the United States' response to the virus has been, to this point, "much, much worse than almost any other country that's been affected."
Biden said President Trump risks acerbating the spread of the virus by downplaying its severity and being "dismissive" of science.
"Our government's ability to respond effectively has been undermined by hollowing out our agencies and disparagement of science," Biden said. "Our ability to drive a global response is dramatically undercut by the damage Trump has done to our credibility and relationships around the world."
Trump's remarks Wednesday night brought additional confusion when he announced a 30-day ban on travel for foreign nationals coming to America from many European nations.
Stock markets continued their precipitous decline Thursday.
Trump has strenuously defended his administration's handling of the crisis.
Speaking in the Oval Office Thursday, he declined to say whether he would declare a national emergency to free up Stafford Act funds. And he predicted the stock markets would eventually bounce back.
"It's not important compared to life and death," Trump said.
The dual Democratic statements vividly illustrate how the virus has rapidly and dramatically shifted the mood and the political reality in the presidential race.
Biden, the front-runner, and Sanders have canceled campaign rallies and are set to debate live on television Sunday without a studio audience. Biden's campaign hold "virtual events" in Illinois and Florida in the coming days. Those states, along with Ohio and Arizona, vote Tuesday.
Both Biden and Sanders on Thursday called for guaranteed paid sick leave for workers, along with various measures to stem economic harm, including expanded unemployment benefits.
In a statement, Biden's campaign said he "believes we must spend whatever it takes, without delay, to meet public health needs and deal with the mounting economic consequences."
A day earlier, on Wednesday, Biden announced the formation of a public health advisory committee to provide "science-based expert advice" the campaign should take to minimize risk to both Biden and his supporters.
"We know the number of cases are going to go up," said Zeke Emanuel, a member of the committee. "It changes the nature of campaigning seriously."
Emanuel said that given the nature of the crisis, he can't advise when campaign rallies should begin again.
Additionally, the Democratic National Committee announced Thursday that Sunday's Biden-Sanders debate will be held in Washington, D.C., rather than Phoenix, to minimize travel. The DNC had already announced that the debate would happen without a live audience.
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