Mere moments after President Trump concluded his Wednesday Oval Office address to the nation about the extraordinary steps the administration was taking to stem the deadly coronavirus, CNN, via pompous chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta, was already insisting the address was “smacking of xenophobia” and bigotry. His evidence was Trump calling the coronavirus a “foreign virus,” which was accurate.
After Prime Time host Chris Cuomo had described the address as the most serious any president had delivered in a generation, Acosta immediately tried to compare the newly announced 30-day travel ban from Europe to the President’s travel ban to prevent Islamic terrorists from entering the country, and seemed to predict chaos:
That is stunning. That is going to cause major disruptions to the travel industry and it is going cause all kinds of problems that we haven't seen since the Trump administration tried the travel ban very early on in the administration.
We saw people waiting at the airport and so on wondering if loved ones will get back from Europe. So it is interesting too find out what the details are from the administration officials in terms of how they're going to implement that.
“Now why the President would go as far as to describe it as a foreign virus, that is something we'll also be asking questions about,” Acosta added, whining about Trump’s use of words. He then suggested the term had some sort of connection to Trump’s immigration policy because “hardliner” Stephen Miller helped write the address.
Acosta adding: “It’s going to come across to a lot of Americans as smacking of xenophobia to use that kind of term in this speech, Chris.”
Cuomo wholeheartedly agreed and tried to exercise his mind-reading powers to see inside the heads of Republican lawmakers:
CUOMO: Well look, sometimes we can answer the questions and the answer is he's doing it to put blame somewhere else. We've seen over the last few days McCarthy and others saying “the Chinese coronavirus,” “the Wuhan coronavirus.” We get that. It can't be the main concern right now.
Meanwhile, back in reality, it was important to note where the Chinese coronavirus/Wuhan virus came from because China had an ongoing propaganda campaign to blame the virus on the U.S. Their refusal to tell the true in that moment so they could further smear the President meant that Acosta and Cuomo were playing into China hands.
This is CNN.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
CNN’s Cuomo Prime Time
March 11, 2020
9:11:20 p.m. EasternCHRIS CUOMO: Now other than a declaration of war or major terrorist event, in a generation we have not heard a message from a president as serious as the one just delivered by President Donald John Trump.
The headline: for the next 30 days, no travel from Europe to the United States. It will apparently include cargo, meaning economic activity. It may be different with certain aspects with the United Kingdom, Britain, there may be certain exceptions for certain people who receive what the President called “appropriate screening.” He didn't go into detail on that.
There are a lot of other releases of resources but overall a jarring message. And the question is, how will the country receive it? We have Dr. Sanjay Gupta along with David Gregory and Jim Acosta also back with us.
First, Jim, is that the speech that was expected?
JIM ACOSTA: I think that is the speech that was expected, I think it went well beyond what any of us really thought. I don't think many of us were expecting the President to announce a travel ban from Europe for 30 days starting at Friday at midnight. That is stunning. That is going to cause major disruptions to the travel industry and it is going cause all kinds of problems that we haven't seen since the Trump administration tried the travel ban very early on in the administration.
We saw people waiting at the airport and so on wondering if loved ones will get back from Europe. So it is interesting too find out what the details are from the administration officials in terms of how they're going to implement that.
The other thing, Chris, that I think we should point out, at one point during the address the President referred to the coronavirus as a quote, “foreign virus.” That I think was interesting, because as I was talking to sources earlier this evening, one of the points that the President wanted to make tonight, wanted to get across to Americans is that this virus did not start here. But that they’re dealing with it.
Now why the President would go as far as to describe it as a foreign virus, that is something we'll also be asking questions about. But it should be pointed out that Stephen Miller, who is an immigration hardliner who advises the President is one of his top domestic policy advisers and speechwriter, was a driving force in writing this speech. And I think it is going to smack – it’s going to come across to a lot of Americans as smacking of xenophobia to use that kind of term in this speech, Chris.
CUOMO: Well look, sometimes we can answer the questions and the answer is he's doing it to put blame somewhere else. We've seen over the last few days McCarthy and others saying “the Chinese coronavirus,” “the Wuhan coronavirus.” We get that. It can't be the main concern right now.
