Coronavirus 2020 Election Impact: Biden Says Democrats May Hold 'Virtual' Presidential Convention

Democratic presidential frontrunner Joe Biden said Sunday that coronavirus concerns could force Democrats to hold a “virtual” presidential convention in August as a measure of public safety.

“We may have to do a virtual convention,” Biden said on ABC’s “This Week” program. “I think we should be thinking about that right now ... We may not be able to put 10, 20, 30,000 people in one place.”

Biden and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders have called off in-person rallies amid the coronavirus pandemic, and have instead opted for virtual events.

Sanders currently trails Biden in the delegate count, with some advisers on the Sanders campaign pressuring the self-proclaimed “democratic socialist” to consider dropping out.

Biden is going forward with vetting potential vice-presidential candidates and is weighing candidates for high-profile cabinet posts.

"You have to start now deciding who you’re going to have background checks done on as potential vice presidential candidates and it takes time,” Biden said at a virtual fundraising event Friday.

“I actually had this discussion with Bernie,” he continued. “I don’t want him to think I’m being presumptuous.”

President Trump has also not been able to hold campaign rallies but instead conducts daily press briefings on his administration’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. Trump frequently boasts of the federal government’s handling of the crisis, despite criticism that his administration was not sufficiently prepared for the outbreak.

The U.S. currently has the most coronavirus cases in the world, with 331,151 people infected as of Sunday at 4:20 p.m. ET. The domestic death toll currently at 9,441.