Trump Accuses ‘LameStream Media’ of Wanting to Keep Country Closed to Hurt His Re-Election Chances

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President Donald Trump accused the “LameStream Media” of plotting to keep the country closed amid the coronavirus crisis, Wednesday, in an effort to it damage his 2020 re-election campaign.
“The LameStream Media is the dominant force in trying to get me to keep our Country closed as long as possible in the hope that it will be detrimental to my election success,” he posted on Twitter. “The real people want to get back to work ASAP. We will be stronger than ever before!”
The LameStream Media is the dominant force in trying to get me to keep our Country closed as long as possible in the hope that it will be detrimental to my election success. The real people want to get back to work ASAP. We will be stronger than ever before!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 25, 2020
Members of the press criticized President Trump’s tweet, accusing him of heading into “conspiracy theory” territory.
“Trump is now turning the most important public health decision in decades into a divisive political issue that is all about…wait for it…him!” responded MSNBC analyst David Corn. “He essentially is willing to kill Americans for the sake of business and to serve his political interests.”
Trump is now turning the most important public health decision in decades into a divisive political issue that is all about…wait for it…him! He essentially is willing to kill Americans for the sake of business and to serve his political interests. https://t.co/nBnREd0GbM
— David Corn (@DavidCornDC) March 25, 2020
“I don’t know anyone who is cheering for this,” commented CBS News White House reporter Kathryn Watson. “Journalists, like everyone else, are concerned about the health and survival of our friends and family and fellow Americans.”
I don’t know anyone who is cheering for this. Journalists, like everyone else, are concerned about the health and survival of our friends and family and fellow Americans. https://t.co/rXahuRpo3J
— Kathryn Watson (@kathrynw5) March 25, 2020
I guess we’re back to this conspiracy theory, pretending the media is overhyping the seriousness of the coronavirus to hurt the economy and hinder Trump’s chances at re-election.
This was the nonsense right-wing media spread prior to Trump declaring a national emergency. https://t.co/QK1P4SAj9T
— Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) March 25, 2020
This is really, really dangerous.
The country is “closed” because state and local officials are trying to control a pandemic and are acting on the advice of medical experts.
Trump is undermining that advice and veering into conspiracy theory territory. https://t.co/H3IsxK6JAY
— Jackson Proskow (@JProskowGlobal) March 25, 2020
President Trump has repeatedly expressed interest in restarting the economy amid the coronavirus crisis, tweeting on Sunday evening, “WE CANNOT LET THE CURE BE WORSE THAN THE PROBLEM ITSELF. AT THE END OF THE 15 DAY PERIOD, WE WILL MAKE A DECISION AS TO WHICH WAY WE WANT TO GO!”
This week, President Trump added that he’d “love to have the country opened up and just raring to go by Easter” next month.
White House chief economic adviser Larry Kudlow has backed the president’s statements, saying on Fox News, “The president is right. The cure can’t be worse than the disease, and we’re going to have to make some difficult trade-offs.”
White House coronavirus task force member and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci, however, has reportedly warned the Trump administration against restarting the economy so soon.