This Tuesday, the White House Coronavirus response team held another press conference, which provided President Donald Trump with the opportunity to spout off some more of his partisanship. As if throughout this whole Coronavirus outbreak, his re-election prospects really have been at the forefront of his thinking, at one point during the press conference, he blurted out that Fox News viewers were supposedly “especially” important. The Coronavirus has, of course, affected Americans across the spectrum without regard to political affiliation or news watching habits — but Fox News viewers are, of course, crucial to Trump’s electoral coalition.
He made the comment in question after Fox News correspondent John Roberts asked him to step closer to the microphone when answering his question. Addressing the planned relief for those affected by the economic upheaval of trying to stem the spread of the Coronavirus, Roberts asked:
‘How would the mechanics of this work? I mean, we’ve been talking about a payroll tax holiday, some $500 billion worth was floated to me today. So how would this idea of sending people a check work? Would that be sort of an advance on what they pay in payroll taxes?’
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin answered first. He insisted:
‘We want to make sure that Americans get money in their pockets quickly. We want to make sure small business owners have access to funds. We want to make sure that hotels, airlines — we have an entire package, we’ll be laying out those details later today.’
Trump then chimed in. After Roberts asked about the mic, Trump said:
‘You can hear me well enough, I imagine?’
After Roberts pointed out that the mic would be for the people at home, Trump commented:
‘Oh, the people at home, you’re right. Those are very important people, come to think of it — especially your people.’
Roberts has been around the White House for awhile, so there’s no reason to question whether or not Trump really meant Fox News viewers in particular. He clearly gestured towards Roberts when making the comment.
Watch below:
Trump went on to praise “getting the money out and getting it out quickly.” Businesses across the country have either closed entirely or dramatically dialed back operations because of concern about social distancing to help stem the spread of the virus.
According to a new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll, “Nearly 1 in 5 American households have already experienced a layoff or a reduction in work hours due to the coronavirus pandemic” — which is just an astronomically large portion. Jurisdictions across the country have shuttered restaurants, bars, public events, and even schools, among other interests affected.
Nearly 1 in 5 American households have already experienced a layoff or a reduction in work hours due to the coronavirus pandemic, a new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll finds.https://t.co/TKySoTv6Fp
— NPR (@NPR) March 17, 2020
Global coronavirus cases are almost at 200,000, with almost 7,900 deaths around the globe from the disease. Before the afternoon was even over on Tuesday, the U.S. already reported more than 1,000 new cases and 11 new deaths, and it’s not yet entirely clear when exactly the Coronavirus precautions might actually be lifted. At a press conference this week, Trump suggested that the restrictions could last until July or August, although again, it’s unclear.
