For months, National Institutes of Allergies and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) director and top Biden health advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci has been cartoonishly vilified by Trump supporters for sounding alarms over the COVID-19 pandemic—the deadliest pandemic in American history.
Throughout 2020, Trump repeatedly positioned himself at odds with Fauci and other medical experts in their recommendations for slowing the spread of the virus. The former President blasted their mask recommendations, their calls for shutdowns, and their warnings against large gatherings.
Trump is gone now, but his politicization of the virus still lingers, with red states significantly more decimated by the virus than blue ones.
Fauci remains a favorite villain of the right as well, especially after recent comments in an interview for Face the Nation, where he was asked if it would be safe for Americans to gather in large numbers for holiday festivities.
"It's just too soon to tell," Fauci responded.
Conservatives were predictably livid, claiming that Fauci was on a crusade to cancel Christmas.
Right-wing Congresswoman Claudia Tenney was among those Republicans, boasting that regardless of comments from Fauci, she would be celebrating Christmas anyway.
Congresswoman @ClaudiaTenney wants you to know that there is a war on publicly celebrating Christmas but also that celebrating Christmas is a very personal and private thing.pic.twitter.com/f82vFSTqzq— Charlotte Clymer \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08 (@Charlotte Clymer \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08) 1633362486
After being reminded that Christmas is months away, Tenney responded:
"Christmas is a state of mind. It's every day."
The comment generated mockery online.
She was right. Today is Christmas.https://twitter.com/claudiatenney/status/1444838133464457216\u00a0\u2026— Keith Naas (@Keith Naas) 1633382558
Hanukkah is a social construct, I celebrate it on Tuesday and Thursdays and Ramadan on Mondayshttps://twitter.com/claudiatenney/status/1444838133464457216\u00a0\u2026— Joe\ud83e\udd8a\ud83c\udf39 (@Joe\ud83e\udd8a\ud83c\udf39) 1633374085
this isn't a Kanye tweet?https://twitter.com/claudiatenney/status/1444838133464457216\u00a0\u2026— jestrr (@jestrr) 1633352829
Wait I've been working hundreds of holidays a year for how long? I demand an explanation.https://twitter.com/claudiatenney/status/1444838133464457216\u00a0\u2026— Michael Henk (@Michael Henk) 1633340823
It\u2019s always the people that would be the villain in a Christmas movie, that wouldn\u2019t know the meaning of \u201cgood will\u201d if it were spelled out for them, that get all up in arms about Christmas.https://twitter.com/claudiatenney/status/1444838133464457216\u00a0\u2026— Thax (@Thax) 1633330906
Beyond parodyhttps://twitter.com/claudiatenney/status/1444838133464457216\u00a0\u2026— scott.shapiro (@scott.shapiro) 1633318337
After being asked to elaborate on what "state of mind" Christmas was, Tenney insisted it was "personal," leading some to call B.S.
No, we all knew you didn't have an articulable basis for that statement and you walked into the trap.\n\nAs self owns go, this one is right up there.— #UhOhIMustBeAntifa (@#UhOhIMustBeAntifa) 1633341495
You brought the subject up. Obviously it wasn\u2019t personal enough to bring it up for discussion.— BruiserKC (@BruiserKC) 1633356572
If Christmas state of mind is personal, how does anyone stop you from being in that state of mind? I\u2019ve enjoyed the Christmas \u201cstate of mind\u201d for the last 47 years.— msmilies (@msmilies) 1633346669
Oof.
