Fox News’ Geraldo Rivera took to spouting Democratic talking points this week in his criticism of President Trump’s response to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, even going so far as to say former Vice President Joe Biden has a better grasp of the crisis.
Taking to Twitter in response to Trump’s address to the nation Wednesday evening, where the president accurately said that COVID-19 is a “foreign virus” and announced a travel ban from European countries, Rivera cited the left’s favorite whipping boy on all matters racist, senior adviser Stephen Miller, to liken the decision to the fictitious Muslim ban.
Rivera tweeted Thursday: “#EuropeanTravelBan might slow spread of #CoronaVirus short term but smacks of senior presidential aide #StephenMiller creepy Xenophobe who’s architect of our regressive immigration policies. Due respect to [Trump] but [Biden] seems to have better overview of crisis.”
#EuropeanTravelBan might slow spread of #CoronaVirus short term but smacks of senior presidential aide #StephenMiller creepy Xenophobe who’s architect of our regressive immigration policies. Due respect to @realDonaldTrump but @JoeBiden seems to have better overview of crisis
— Geraldo Rivera (@GeraldoRivera) March 12, 2020
Biden, 77, who seems to struggle sometimes with age-related cognitive impairment, also used the term “xenophobia” in response to Trump’s address, with the Democrat using the outbreak to capitalize politically, attacking “the severe shortcomings of the current administration.”
In the process, the candidate released his own plan to combat the coronavirus — read off a teleprompter and took no questions afterwards — and while it’s not based on the realities on the ground, Biden’s plan featured tests for anyone who wants it, complete with drive-thru testing sites, emergency paid family and medical leave.
In addition to the xenophobia charge, Democrats are accusing Trump of racism after he called the coronavirus the Wuhan virus, which is the name of the Chinese city where it appears to have originated.
Rivera appeared on Fox News’ “Hannity” Thursday night, and got into a heated back and forth with former Secret Service agent Dan Bongino.
Again, Rivera went after Miller, who he said wrote the president’s Oval Office speech, which prompted Bongino to blast him for spreading “Chinese propaganda” about the outbreak.
(Incredibly, a Chinese government spokesman pushed a conspiracy theory that the U.S. military is responsible for the coronavirus breaking out in the city of Wuhan.)
“Geraldo, you realize you’re repeating Chinese propaganda here?” Bongino asked.
“Oh, don’t give me that crap,” Rivera replied. “What are you talking about? Chinese propaganda? You’re a cheap shot artist. Talk to the facts.”
When Bongino countered to call him a “bulls**t artist,” Rivera flew off the handle.
“You’re lucky you’re not in front of me, big guy,” the 76-year-old talking head told the former Secret Service agent 30 years his junior.
Responding to the crack, Bongino said, “I strongly suggest you rethink that approach.”
“You are repeating Chinese propaganda on this channel, and you know it,” he added. “That Stephen Miller cheap shot is outrageous.”
Rivera whined about Bongino not making “an intellectual argument,” as they talked over one another.
“You are upset because you are getting called out right now, that’s why,” Bongino told him. “Control yourself and pipe down.”
He also told Rivera that “blaming it on Stephen Miller is outrageously stupid.”
The irony here is that Rivera was denouncing Democrats for politicizing the outbreak when Trump tapped Vice President Mike Pence to lead the administration’s response.
“I am deeply disappointed in the response of Democrats who have chosen to weaponize this apolitical virus,” Rivera said at the time. “Shame on them for what they have done. They have attempted to use this to ridicule the president and to campaign against him. Shame on them.”
He also tweeted this about Joe Biden:
If you don’t think the team put together by @realDonaldTrump & @VP is
1-extremely competent
2-doing an excellent job &
2-everything reasonable to combat the spread of the virus, then you are-in the words of @JoeBiden-full of shit.— Geraldo Rivera (@GeraldoRivera) March 10, 2020
Here’s a quick sampling of responses to Rivera from Twitter:
I lost completely all respect I had, albeit not much, for @GeraldoRivera after that unprofessional and unwarranted outburst.
— Roving Locus (@rovinglocus) March 13, 2020
@GeraldoRivera Disgusting. Geraldo is weird.
— CindyA (@GoTravelExplore) March 13, 2020
Thank you @dbongino for putting @GeraldoRivera in his place.
— ??#Two-Tiered Justice❌ (@hopingforachang) March 13, 2020
Why is Geraldo hung up on race all the time? How has he succeeded if this is a racist country??
— Bob Duncan (@bobduncan13) March 13, 2020
Just when I think you could, might, maybe, possibly be coming around, you show you’re still a f’kn moron Jerry.
— Jackie⭐️⭐️⭐️ (@00_jackie) March 13, 2020
What? How do you think the virus gets here, dude? And you’d rather put Swine Flu Biden in charge? He doesn’t know where he is.
— Buzz Patterson for Congress (CA-7) (@BuzzPatterson) March 13, 2020
Better overview? Like … you know … you know THE THING”? That kind of overview? Maybe he can tell us how taking away AR-14s will destroy the virus.
“Obiden” is one sandwich short of a picnic.
— ???Ⓜ️elissa⭐️⭐️⭐️ (@mlynne3) March 13, 2020
Dan Bongino just handed Geraldo Rivera his ass and it was glorious. #Hannity
— SP (@StaceyPaige27) March 13, 2020
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The longest-tenured writer at BizPac Review, Tom grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a young teen. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills.
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