Fox News spent a good portion of its morning programming spinning the bombshell audio clips recorded by Watergate reporter Bob Woodward of President Donald Trump admitting he knew just how dangerous and deadly the coronavirus is, knew as far back as January, yet lied to the American people and continues to do so today.
About 1.7 million “Fox & Friends” viewers were told that President Trump is just like President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, wanting to “calm America” with his famous fireside chats – because at one point during his 18 interviews with Woodward Trump claimed he was lying to America because he did not want to “panic” people.
Wanting to have Americans “stay calm,” Fox & Friends said, was the same message President Barack Obama gave Americans on the virus also.
There is a difference between urging calm and lying with deadly results. And Trump, on tape, admits he “wanted to always play it down.”
“I still like playing it down, because I don’t want to create a panic,” Trump told Woodward.
“The President said he did not want to freak people out he wanted to keep people calm during this time of great national uncertainty,” Fox News’ Steve Doocy told viewers the morning after clips of Trump lying were published.
“Think about it. During the Depression, it was FDR who had his fireside chats to calm America. You look at something that President Obama tweeted out on March 4. And he had the same message as President Trump about, calm down.”
But President Trump did not try to calm Americans when he fear-mongered about the “caravan” of migrants in 2018. Nor did he try to calm Americans when he fear-mongered about Mexicans coming to rape Americans when he kicked off his presidential campaign in 2015. Nor did he try to calm Americans when he fear-mongered about Antifa. About MS-13. About violence in Democratic-run cities. About defunding the police. About Black people coming to harm white “suburban mothers.”
Trump’s entire campaign is about instilling fear.
Watch “Fox & Friends”: