President of the League of United Latin American Citizens Domingo Garcia joined host John King on Monday's CNN Newsroom to rail against President Trump's latest Defense Production Act order regarding meat packing plants. According to Garcia, the order is the historical equivelent of the equivalent of Japanese-Americans during World War II. Such histrionics led King to thank Garcia for his concern for the plant workers.
King and Garcia operated under the assumption that the DPA order is forcing these plants to remain open, even if it is unsafe, which is not what the order actually says. Operating under that faulty premise, King asked Garcia, "Are there any governors who you would look at the map and say 'this governor’s jumped up and proven he or she wants to help others maybe not so much.'”
Garcia declared the order, "One of the most immoral acts any president of the United States has ever done is what Donald Trump did last week is when he put down all the meat packing plants under the, I believe it’s the War Production Act, saying they need to remain open."
Getting the name of the law in question wrong was not the worst part of Garcia's factually-challenged diatribe, although CNN, including King, has repeatedly told us that the little details matter a great deal.
Continuing under the same mistaken premise as before, Garcia questioned Trump's religion and patriotism:
Now those governors in Iowa or, Moore County, Texas, which have the largest number of COVID-19 increases, in Iowa it’s Waterloo, Iowa, in Texas it’s Cactus, Texas, where the meatpacking plants are and those are spreading in dramatically huge fashion in those neighborhoods and communities and yet President Trump says they remain open and the local county officials can't do anything about it and that's just the one most immoral, un-Christian, un-American acts by any president in the history of the United States, except maybe the internment of the Japanese during World War II.
King brought the segment of personal attacks based on inaccurate information to a close by offering Garcia his thanks, "We will continue to follow this story, Domingo Garcia, very appreciate your time and your insights today and your concerns for these workers. Thank you, sir." The two then engaged in a final round of mutual thank yous.
Here is a transcript for the May 4 show:
CNN
CNN Newsroom
1:40 PM ET
JOHN KING: When you say that's not happening right now. What is --obviously you don't think the companies are acting quickly enough whether it is personal protective gear, whether it’s putting up plexiglass protections, whether it’s ramping up testing at these plants. Are there any governors who you would look at the map and say “this governor’s jumped up and proven he or she wants to help others maybe not so much.”
DOMINGO GARCIA: Well John, well one of the most immoral acts any president of the United States has ever done is what Donald Trump did last week is when he put down all the meat packing plants under the, I believe it’s the War Production Act, saying they need to remain open.
We had put pressure, for example at a plant in Colorado, the governor and local health director had closed down the plant . Now those governors in Iowa or, Moore County, Texas, which have the largest number of COVID-19 increases, in Iowa it’s Waterloo, Iowa, in Texas it’s Cactus, Texas, where the meatpacking plants are and those are spreading in dramatically huge fashion in those neighborhoods and communities and yet President Trump says they remain open and the local county officials can't do anything about it and that's just the one most immoral, un-Christian un-American acts by any president in the history of the United States, except maybe the internment of the Japanese during World War II.
KING: We will continue to follow this story, Domingo Garcia, very appreciate your time and your insights today and your concerns for these workers. Thank you, sir.
GARCIA: Thank you.KING: Thank you
