DNC Chair and former labor secretary Tom Perez released the following statement after 1.5 million more Americans filed for unemployment last week:

“13 weeks. 13 weeks of unemployment claims exceeding a million. Nearly 120,000 Americans have died from this pandemic, new COVID cases are surging in many states. and our economy is in recession. And where is the president? He’s getting ready for a self-congratulatory pep rally in Tulsa. He doesn’t care about the 29 million Americans out of work. He doesn’t care about the double-digit unemployment rate, or the small business owners taking it on the chin, or the Black Americans across this country being brutalized by police violence. The only number Donald Trump looks at every morning is his approval rating.

“America is hurting right now. Our nation needs a real leader. A president with courage and empathy, compassion and experience. While Donald Trump is looking in the mirror, Joe Biden is looking out for the American people.”