Yahoo News Late Night Hosts Say Trump Administration Has Waved White Flag To Coronavirus, Knock Administration’s Lack Of Action
Just days after the United States reached an all-time high in new coronavirus cases with more than 80,000 on Friday, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said that members of the Trump administration “are not going to control the pandemic.”
“We are going to control the fact that we get vaccines, therapeutics and other mitigation areas,” Meadows told CNN’s Jake Tapper on Sunday.
Late night hosts Seth Meyers, Jimmy Kimmel and Trevor Noah say that Trump and his administration, based on Meadows’ comment, have surrendered to the infectious disease that has killed more than 230,000 Americans. During their Monday night shows, the hosts knocked the administration’s lack of action, contradicting statements and Trump’s frustration with the virus’ media coverage.
Late Night with Seth Meyers criticized the Trump administration for not doing enough to protect Americans, and for making their surrender obvious. The show’s host quipped that the mayor from Jaws would have been an upgrade from Trump since he “wasn’t in denial” about the chaos unfolding in his jurisdiction.
“This much is clear, Trump’s White House has given up while hundreds of thousands of Americans needlessly die from a virus that can be contained,” Meyers said on Monday. “The president and his aides are waving the white flag and telling you to fend for yourselves.”
Jimmy Kimmel also gave his own input on Meadows’ comments and Trump’s lack of direction during the pandemic. During Jimmy Kimmel Live, the late night host said that it doesn’t make sense for Trump not to consult with the COVID-19 task force. Noting that it had been months since the president met with the disease experts, Kimmel says it’s as if Trump is willingly putting himself and the country in danger.
“This is like if you were drowning and refused to meet with the life guard,” he said.
Kimmel speculated that the president, given the amount of coverage the virus continues to receive, might be tired of hearing about COVID-19. During rallies over the weekend, Trump told his supporters that news about the coronavirus pandemic seems to be the only thing people and reporters talk about.
Also taking aim at the president’s rally comments, The Daily Show host Trevor Noah noticed that Trump’s apathy towards the virus and its media coverage is something unique.
“I can safely say that I have never seen a world leader get bored of a crisis,” Noah said.
In response to Trump’s supposed boredom and frustration with constantly hearing about COVID-19, Noah added that the president shouldn’t find it so surprising.
“People are still talking about COVID, because people are still dying from COVID,” Noah added.
While the late night hosts poked fun at and rebuked the president for his behavior when it comes to coronavirus media coverage, Kimmel identified why Trump might feel the way he does.
“I think I’ve figured it out, he’s jealous of the virus. He’s upset COVID is getting more attention than he is,” Kimmel said.
The hosts also took deep dives into Mike Pence’s aides testing positive for the coronavirus, election polls and more. Watch the complete segments from Meyers, Kimmel and Noah below.
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