‘That’s CNN. Fake news…’
(Claire Russel, Liberty Headlines) CNN’s Jim Acosta claimed President Donald Trump’s Oval Office address on his administration’s coronavirus strategy “smacked of xenophobia.”
“I think we should point out, at one point during the address the president referred to the coronavirus as a ‘foreign virus,’” Acosta told Chris Cuomo, according to Town Hall.
“Now, why the president would go as far as to describe it as a foreign virus?” he continued. “That is something we’ll also be asking questions about.”
Acosta then suggested White House adviser Stephen Miller intentionally included racist language in Trump’s speech.
“But it should be pointed out that Stephen Miller, who is an immigration hard-liner, who advises the president, is one of his top domestic policy advisers and speechwriters, was a driving force in writing this speech,” Acosta continued. “And I think it is going to come across to a lot of Americans as smacking of xenophobia to use that kind of term in this speech.”
The coronavirus originated in China’s Wuhan region, but liberals have widely denounced those who refer to it as anything but COVID-19.
Democrats attacked Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., for calling it the “Wuhan virus,” even though multiple media outlets have also referred to it as the Wuhan virus, and now Acosta is arguing the word “foreign” is xenophobic.
The Media Research Center compiled a video that showed CNN and other network news outlets using the terms.
After Acosta’s rant, Trump dismissed a question from him at a White House press briefing on Thursday.
“That’s CNN,” Trump responded. “Fake news.”
CNN’s Jim Acosta: “What do you say to Americans who are concerned that you’re not taking this seriously enough and that some of your statements don’t match what your health experts are saying?”
President Trump: “That’s CNN. Fake news.” pic.twitter.com/c9T3ZhRIcP
— Yashar Ali ? (@yashar) March 11, 2020