Quote:By: Rick Earle, WPXI-TV
Updated: September 25, 2020 - 5:29 PM
PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto defended a tweet he sent Thursday night pointing the finger at President Trump and what the mayor believes is contributing to small businesses closing.

Quote:[*]Want to know why small businesses are closing all over our country? There are two reasons. 1). Failure to lead on a global pandemic with a national strategy to protect our citizens. 2). Failure to provide emergency funding to those in need and the regions producing GDP. https://t.co/mwyTmif5WR
— bill peduto (@billpeduto) September 25, 2020

[*]
“We had 50 states acting separately, and you can’t contain the virus when you do that. Secondly, there has been no bailout for small companies for the people. The bailouts have gone to the largest corporations and to billionaires instead of focusing on main streets,” Peduto said.

According to Oxxford Information Technology, a company that tracks small businesses, 1.4 million either closed or suspended operations between April and June. The company said as many as 4 million could shut down by the end of the year.

“I think all you have to do is look at cities around the country and you see it is not isolated to one city or to one region or to one state. It’s very obvious that he has failed our country,” Peduto said.

President Trump has repeatedly defended his administration’s handling of the pandemic, saying the measures he put in place have saved millions.