On Wednesday, MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough said that everyone but President Donald Trump had seen the coronavirus pandemic coming at the beginning of the year.
‘Everybody saw this coming, everybody saw this coming in early January’ – Even Though Joe Scarborough Didn’t?
“Everybody saw this coming, everybody saw this coming in early January,” Scarborough claimed on his program “Morning Joe.”
Scarborough on Trump and the Coronavirus: Unlike him, “Everybody saw this coming in early January” pic.twitter.com/rB2ZZNgzb6
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) April 1, 2020
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But there’s a big problem with his statement – even Scarborough wasn’t talking about coronavirus in early January.
Trump 2020 Communications Director Matt Wolking tweeted, “Brazen lie from @JoeNBC. @Morning_Joe did not mention the coronavirus until Jan 24, when a guest said ‘we don’t need to be overly concerned yet in the U.S.’ and ‘Americans [should] take this as a wake up call for seasonal flu.’ Joe himself didn’t mention coronavirus until Feb 7.”
Brazen lie from @JoeNBC.@Morning_Joe did not mention the coronavirus until Jan 24, when a guest said "we don't need to be overly concerned yet in the U.S." and "Americans [should] take this as a wake up call for seasonal flu."
Joe himself didn't mention coronavirus until Feb 7 https://t.co/qECFnUBBJg
— Matt Wolking (Text TRUMP to 88022) (@MattWolking) April 1, 2020
Coronavirus Wasn’t Even Mentioned on ‘Morning Joe’ Until January 24
Coronavirus was not mentioned on “Morning Joe” until January 24, when cohost Mika Brzezinski read a news report about China and the 26th death occurring in Wuhan.
There were just a few minutes of COVID-19 coverage that day, with most reporting and political conversations focusing almost entirely on President Trump’s impeachment trial.
hilariously, Joe Scarborough @Morning_Joe now claims "everyone knew" scale of corona-crisis in EARLY JANUARY when he:
– never mentioned it
– didn't warn anyone
– told his audience they should worry more about flu
– and obsessed about impeachment!— steve hilton (@SteveHiltonx) April 1, 2020
Just ten days before this early report, the Chinese government along with the World Health Organization was still saying that the coronavirus was not transmissible from person to person.
Obviously we have since learned this isn’t true. We have also all learned together, whether Scarborough wants to admit it or not, pretending this was well known back in January.
Left-Leaning Journalist Glenn Greenwald Calls Joe Out
The Intercept journalist Glenn Greenwald took Joe to task, tweeting, “Look what a pathological liar @JoeNBC is. Today he said about the coronavirus pandemic in the US: “Everybody saw this coming in early January.” Number of @JoeNBC tweets in January by topic: Impeachment – 29 Election – 11 Sports – 7 Coronavirus – 0″
Look what a pathological liar @JoeNBC is. Today he said about the coronavirus pandemic in the US:
"Everybody saw this coming in early January."
Number of @JoeNBC tweets in January by topic:
Impeachment – 29
Election – 11
Sports – 7
Coronavirus – 0pic.twitter.com/qjhX11wguH— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) April 1, 2020
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Greenwald is right.
But Joe Scarborough’s purpose here isn’t to tell the truth, but to hurt the President. In that effort, any lie will do.
The post Joe Scarborough Says Everyone Except Trump ‘Saw This Coming In Early January,’ But ‘Morning Joe’ Didn’t Mention It Until The 24th appeared first on The Political Insider.