On Monday evening, CNN host Wolf Blitzer gave an unchallenged forum to New York Times columnist Tom Friedman as he vowed to do whatever it took to get to the polls and vote against President Donald Trump and install Democrat Joe Biden in office: "I will crawl, I will slither, I will bike, I will hike!"
Friedman blamed the President for the severity of the pandemic, asserted that, if Trump were in charge during World War II, Nazi Germany would have defeated the U.S., and predicted that the severity will end as soon as Trump is voted out in November. (Certainly, the media would have an entirely different spin.)
After complaining about masks being a political issue, he then suggested that President Trump has been derelict in handling the war against COVID-19 as he added:
FRIEDMAN: You know, the President has told us we're at war. "We're at war, but I'm going golfing. We're at war, but don't listen to the generals like Brix [sic] and Fauci. We're at war, but don't wear a helmet" -- the equivalent of a helmet, a mask. "We're at war, but don't trouble yourself if you want to go to a restaurant or go to church -- no problem." Thank God -- if he had been in charge at V-Day, we'd all be speaking German right now.
After Blitzer asked if he could "see an end in sight" to the pandemic, Friedman urged the ouster of Trump from office:
Oh, I do see an end in sight. It's in November, Wolf. And let me be very clear about this with all this business about, you know, voting and mail-in voting. Wolf, I will walk -- I will crawl -- I will slither -- I will bike -- I will hike -- but I will be going to the polls to vote for Joe Biden because until and unless we replace this President and this administration, we're going to be having the same conversation every day, all right, that that is what this is about.
He further trashed the President as he continued:
This is about power -- it's about removing this man who has no business being President who is incapable of navigating us out of this crisis. And there is only one thing to do -- and that is vote for Joe Biden -- drive someone to the polls to vote for Joe Biden -- raise money for Joe Biden -- do a call for Joe Biden -- but unless we change this administration, Wolf, we're going to be having this same conversation every night. And I repeat: I will walk -- I will slither -- I will hike -- I will bike -- I will do whatever I can to change this administration.
This episode of The Situation Room was sponsored by Pedialyte and Bombas. Their contact information is provided.
Below is a transcript of the relevant portion of the Monday, August 3, The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer on CNN:
6:36 p.m. Eastern
TOM FRIEDMAN, NEW YORK TIMES: When you politicize masks, you can politicize anything. You can politicize physics -- you can politicize gravity -- you can politicize rainfall, When everything becomes politics and there's no reference point to anything, you're in a really, really bad place.
You know, the President has told us we're at war. "We're at war, but I'm going golfing. We're at war, but don't listen to the generals like Brix and Fauci. We're at war, but don't wear a helmet" -- the equivalent of a helmet, a mask. "We're at war, but don't trouble yourself if you want to go to a restaurant or go to church -- no problem." Thank God -- if he had been in charge at V-Day, we'd all be speaking German right now.
WOLF BLITZER: I mean, it's a sad situation what's going on right now, and I don't see any end in sight. Hopefully, there will be a therapeutic that comes out that could prevent people from getting really sick and dying. Hopefully, there will be a vaccine at some point that will ease this, but, right now, there doesn't seem to be any end in sight. Do you see an end in sight right now?
FRIEDMAN: Oh, I do see an end in sight. It's in November, Wolf. And let me be very clear about this with all this business about, you know, voting and mail-in voting. Wolf, I will walk -- I will crawl -- I will slither -- I will bike -- I will hike -- but I will be going to the polls to vote for Joe Biden because until and unless we replace this President and this administration, we're going to be having the same conversation every day, all right, that that is what this is about.
This is about power -- it's about removing this man who has no business being President who is incapable of navigating us out of this crisis. And there is only one thing to do -- and that is vote for Joe Biden -- drive someone to the polls to vote for Joe Biden -- raise money for Joe Biden -- do a call for Joe Biden -- but unless we change this administration, Wolf, we're going to be having this same conversation every night. And I repeat: I will walk -- I will slither -- I will hike -- I will bike -- I will do whatever I can to change this administration.
