President Donald Trump retweeted a post by game show host Chuck Woolery that unfoundedly claimed that “everyone is lying” about the coronavirus pandemic in a possible effort to thwart Trump’s re-election prospects this fall by damaging the economy.
Conservative Woolery, who hosted shows like “Love Connection,” wrote Sunday night: “The most outrageous lies are those of Covid 19.”
“Everyone is lying. The CDC [federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention], Media, Democrats, our doctors, not all, but most, who we are told to trust, “Woolery wrote.
“I think it’s all about the elections and preventing the economy from coming back, that it’s about the elections. I’m sick of it.”
Woolery did not cite any evidence of his claim, nor detailed any alleged “lies” of the objectives of his tweet that the president republished.
Shortly after Trump shared the post, the president retweeted another comment by Woolery about the coronavirus outbreak in the United States.
“There is so much evidence, yes, scientific evidence, that schools should open this fall. It is worldwide and it is overwhelming. BUT NOT,” Woolery wrote, whose summary of the game also includes acting as the first presenter of “Wheel of Fortune,” and helming “Scrabble”, “Greed” and “Lingo”.
Woolery’s comments were heavily criticized by several people, including actress Rosanna Arquette, who in a Twitter response wrote: “The most outrageous lies are being spoon-fed to American citizens by the racist, brutal, barbaric and triumphant administration. of assholes like you because of gross negligence Americans are dying and hated around the world because of an accused individual crime. “
Journalist Kurt Eichenwald wrote: “Let’s see. A game show host, a politician, someone on social media, a guy on Fox News, or a person trained in epidemiology and infectious diseases. Huh. You’re right. It’s hard to know which one of those who to trust on issues related to epidemiology and infectious diseases. “
The posts came as the United States hit new records for coronavirus cases as the virus spread in the south and west, with new Covid-19 cases surpassing or reaching 60,000 additional diagnoses each day in the past week.
On Sunday, Florida reported 15,299 new Covid-19 cases in a single day, breaking New York State’s individual daily record in more than 3,000 cases.
Trump’s implicit endorsement of Woolery’s comments also came when Trump administration officials attempted to discredit Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top federal infectious disease official. It has continued to issue severe warnings about the risks of reopening the country in the midst of the pandemic.
On Monday, senior executives from the Association of American Medical Colleges released a statement saying the group “is extremely concerned and alarmed at efforts to discredit Anthony Fauci.”
“Dr. Fauci has been an independent and open voice for the truth as the nation has fought to combat the coronavirus pandemic,” wrote AAMC President Dr. David Skorton and Chief Scientific Officer Dr. Ross McKinney. .
“As we see from the increase in COVID-19 cases in areas that have reopened, science and facts, not illusions or politics, should guide the United States’ response to this pandemic,” said Skorton and McKinney.
The previous Sunday, the Secretary of the US Department of Education, Betsy DeVos, called for the Trump administration’s push to reopen schools in the fall, even as the pandemic continues.
“School leaders across the country must make plans” to have students in the classroom, DeVos said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
“There will be exceptions to the rule, but the rule should be that children return to school this fall,” he said.
On Monday, Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of the World Health Organization’s health emergencies program, warned against the decision to reopen schools “yet another political football in this game.”
“If we suppress the virus in our society, in our communities, our schools can open safely,” said Ryan.
Trump on Sunday night also retweeted a third Twitter post from Woolery, who was responding to a Trump supporter who was critical of Democrats.
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