John Berman Demands CNN Producers Stop Showing Trump Taking Off Mask: ‘That’s Going to Kill People’

CNN anchor John Berman demanded producers stop showing a clip of President Donald Trump taking off his coronavirus face mask, claiming it’s “going to kill people.”

On Tuesday’s edition of CNN’s New Day, Berman said, “Obviously we will discuss the president’s health over the course of the show, but this morning I think the bigger concern is for the public health.”

“We’re looking at 210,000 Americans dead, we’re seeing a rise in new daily cases,” he said. “And the president in that Sunset Boulevard gesture whipped his mask off in front of the American people on the nightly news last night.”

As producers then began to play the clip of Trump taking off his mask, Berman shouted, “Take it off. Please. Don’t even put it on the screen. Please take it off, because that’s going to kill people.”

The producers pulled down the clip before Dr. Peter Hotez responded, “How we behave over the next few months will determine whether we have 270,000 dead Americans by the end of this year or over 400,000 dead Americans, and whether or not we’re at 272 instead of 400,000 all depends on the country adopting masks.”

“And the president has sent a message to the American people: let’s go for the 400,000 number, take off your mask, be defiant, we can beat this virus, it’s all hype,” Hotez added. “What he did was to put the American people in danger by his actions because people follow his lead.”

“Many people find him very compelling and will do and follow all of his actions and his statements and his tweets, and he put out the message that let’s let this thing rip, don’t let it interfere with your daily activities, don’t be fearful, let’s have 400,000 Americans dead,” he said.

Trump — who tested positive for Covid-19 — took off his mask during a White House balcony appearance on Monday after the president returned following a brief stay at the Walter Reed Medical Center

Watch above via CNN.

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