Texas Lt. Gov. Defends Himself for Saying Older People ‘Will Take Care of Ourselves’ in Coronavirus Interview

Ken MeyerMar 24th, 2020, 1:10 pm

Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick released a statement defending his widely-panned comments on why American society should go back to normal despite the ongoing coronavirus crisis.

In his interview with Fox News’ Tucker Carlson Monday night, Patrick lamented the pandemic’s impact on the economy while dismissing concerns about the risk factor to older people, including himself.

“No one reached out to me and said as a senior citizen, are you willing to take a chance on your survival in exchange for keeping the America that all America loves for your children and grandchildren. If that’s the exchange, I’m all in,” Patrick said. “Let’s get back to work, let’s get back to living. Let’s be smart about it, and those of us who are 70 plus, we’ll take care of ourselves. But don’t sacrifice the country.”

Many viewers took Patrick’s commentary to mean he was essentially arguing that the elderly should just accept the dangers of the pandemic if that’s what it takes to restart the economy. President Donald Trump has signaled he’s leaning towards a return to normalcy (despite the recommendations of health officials), and on Tuesday, Patrick’s office released a statement saying he agrees with the president on whenever he decides to roll back social distancing policies.

“But at some point, sooner rather than later, we must get back to work before our nation totally collapses,” the statement says. “When you close the doors of every business in America, you cannot help but destroy the economy and with it, the opportunity for the next generation to live the American dream.”