Journalists and Others Dunk on Fox News’ Brit Hume Over May Tweet Mocking Biden for Wearing Covid Mask

Fox News’ Brit Hume got tons of engagement this weekend on a May tweet in which he mocked former Vice President Joe Biden for wearing a coronavirus mask, made newly-relevant with the news of President Donald Trump’s hospitalization from COVID-19.

Hume took a good deal of flack in May when he tweeted a bemasked Biden along with the caption “This might help explain why Trump doesn’t like to wear a mask in public. Biden today.”

Trump himself retweeted the post several months prior to his last maskless indoor rally, his maskless Rose Garden photo op to announce the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett, and his hospitalization with COVID-19.

Trump’s diagnosis and hospitalization cast Hume’s tweet in a new light for journalists (from outlets as varied as MSNBC, The Washington Post, and ESPN), politicians, celebrities, and other prominent Twitter users who dug up the tweet to dunk on Hume and Trump, and boost Biden for his consistent mask use.

this kind of know-nothing, juvenile, politically-motivated irresponsibility has put the president in danger and gotten a lot of Americans killed https://t.co/W07TS0qskx

— John Harwood (@JohnJHarwood) October 3, 2020

You should delete this tweet. https://t.co/8j6z8TPq9C

— Brian Schatz (@brianschatz) October 3, 2020

Think about this. Fox News in May helping Trump convince people that wearing a mask is a joke. Thousands have died because of Trump and his media enablers. https://t.co/Gf30iGPUST

— Claire McCaskill (@clairecmc) October 3, 2020

A reminder of one of the worst tweets ever posted to this site. https://t.co/DoUiQ4gA2l

— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) October 3, 2020

Brit Hume really owned the libs with this tweet. And contributed to suppressing the wearing of masks, likely contributing to people getting sick and dying. https://t.co/tGB7PX7EgJ

— Ben Rhodes (@brhodes) October 3, 2020

When you have 1.2 million followers and a national platform on a network in which people devour your every cue, spreading a dangerous message that shames people for following public health advice as Brit Hume did here quite literally causes people to die. Shame on you. Again. https://t.co/X0YwyISFPg

— Brian Klaas (@brianklaas) October 3, 2020

How idiotic does @brithume look today tweeting this in May? That was the same time all of the @GOP governors were opening their states. Any apology, Brit? #WeTriedToTellYa https://t.co/gEFPSzuzox

— rolandsmartin (@rolandsmartin) October 3, 2020

This guy gets paid for takes like this https://t.co/OlcQzmeIhO

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 3, 2020

This might help explain why Biden likes to wear a mask in public. Trump today. https://t.co/ngRnTVunz0 pic.twitter.com/juTuz9x1c6

— Matt McDermott (@mattmfm) October 3, 2020

.@brithume, back in May you put out this tweet. I called you out for it then. Do you have anything you would like to say now? This stupidity may end up with some of your friends dead. https://t.co/ElUnsabzS3

— Fred Guttenberg (@fred_guttenberg) October 3, 2020

People are dunking on Brit for this but I would like to also dunk on Brit for this. https://t.co/eSo5WV8TgQ

— Molly Jong-Fast? (@MollyJongFast) October 3, 2020

Come for the ignorance. Stay for the replies. https://t.co/4cxjvj0D8q

— Jason Reid (@JReidESPN) October 3, 2020

Also might help explain why he’s hospitalized with a deadly disease right now that could’ve been avoided if he had just put the mask on https://t.co/lA5XhmmBrz

— Maysoon (@maysoonzayid) October 3, 2020

You may not know what a dangerous idiot you are but we all know. https://t.co/27jSi0qIlt

— Judd Apatow (@JuddApatow) October 3, 2020

Conservatives:

It is better to look good than to feel good. https://t.co/ScJDXYLUHg

— Greg Pinelo (@gregpinelo) October 3, 2020

This aged well. https://t.co/vElCr2Zd2X

— Charles Gaba (@charles_gaba) October 3, 2020

Regrets? https://t.co/Ftcrd1ITQS

— Arne Duncan (@arneduncan) October 3, 2020

aging like a fine milk https://t.co/fDXKyRHoLS

— Jason Linkins (@dceiver) October 3, 2020

Do you want to apologize now Brit? https://t.co/stQl6CHwRQ

— Corey Johnson (@CoreyinNYC) October 3, 2020

It wouldn’t take much intelligence to know that the messaging from Brit Hume, alone, has probably contributed to deaths. Nice way to make a living. https://t.co/W7kiamQvft

— (((Howard Forman))) (@thehowie) October 3, 2020