“I Was Aghast” – MSM Attacks Trump For Removing Mask On White House Steps

“I Was Aghast” – MSM Attacks Trump For Removing Mask On White House Steps

Tyler Durden

Tue, 10/06/2020 – 13:45

As is often the case with anything and everything involving President Trump, his return to the White House residence last night was either a stirring show of strength or a reckless example of the president’s callous disregard for the safety of others. It all depends on where an individual gets their news.

Reuters reported that Trump’s ‘heavily coordinated’ spectacle – where he encouraged Americans to “get out there” but “be careful” – elicited a backlash mostly because of Trump’s decision to remove his mask while standing – alone – in front of the South Portico.

The newswire service managed to find a couple of partisan doctors to opine on the record that they were ‘horrified’ by Trump’s behavior and words.

Trump has repeatedly flouted social-distancing guidelines meant to curb the virus’ spread and ignored his own medical advisers. He also mocked Biden at last Tuesday’s presidential debate for wearing a mask at events, even when he is far from others.

His decision to remove his mask after climbing the staircase to the White House South Portico – a perch that put him at some distance from others – and his insistence that Americans should not fear the disease horrified some physicians.

“I was aghast when he said COVID should not be feared,” said William Schaffner, a professor of preventive medicine and infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville.

William Schaffner, Reuters’ main source, was of course widely quoted in press reports criticizing Trump’s approach and second-guessing his treatment.

He has also been one of the leading voices speculating that President Trump might need to be rushed back to Walter Reed in the coming days as the president’s condition worsens.

Of course, these doctors are doing wonders for bolstering the public’s credibility.

But it wasn’t only doctors criticizing Trump: White House reporters, whoa re supposed to impartially cover the president, also criticized him for removing his mask, despite being outdoors and standing alone on the landing.

MSNBC’s Joy Reid “unequivocally condemned” Trump for removing the mask.

Chris Cuomo, who got called out for staging his own dramatic ‘return’ from quarantine after allegedly violating social distancing rules during the early days of the outbreak, also went on a rent on CNN last night.

Democratic politicians like Sen. Chris Coons slammed Trump’s decision as “a failure of leadership”.

The Biden campaign capitalized on the moment with a video showing Trump removing his mask, with Biden, on the other side, putting his on.

The Drudge Report, which has become increasingly critical of Trump, ran one of its classic all-caps headlines to play up a clip purporting to show Trump gasping for air after his climb up the steps.

The clip dominated the conversation on Twitter overnight, leading the hashtag ‘#GaspingForAir’ to trend.

As members of the White House press corp continued to rant about the White House putting them ‘in harm’s way’ with their lax mask-wearing standards, one CNN reporter angrily commented on Trump’s decision to remove the mask.

Shortly after, a Trump Campaign-affiliated ‘War Room’ account shared footage of Collins in the briefing room taking off her mask when she apparently thought the briefing had ended.

Still, we can’t help but wonder: If the media had their druthers, what would they rather see?

Or perhaps they didn’t think about the notion that Trump was attempting to show the public that he’s doing better to prevent another sharp selloff in financial markets…with the election one month away.