With President Donald Trump chomping at the bit to reopen the nation despite the global pandemic remaining a threat, his far-Right sycophants are leaping to appease him by echoing his calls to their viewers.
With the economy a crucial talking point in favor of his reelection, Trump is aching to see businesses reopen and jobs reinstated—even if it endangers the lives of Americans across the country.
Fox News host Laura Ingraham is the latest Trump devotee to push the conspiracy theory that the media is working to keep these safety measures in place in the hopes that an economic disaster would jeopardize Trump's reelection.
Ingraham accused the Washington Post of "rooting for the shut down to continue indefinitely."
Her evidence? The Post quoted experts—many in Trump's own administration—who said that reopening the economy by May 1 was unrealistic, and could prove detrimental to public safety with a resurgence of the virus.
Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane—whose shows air on Fox's entertainment channel—called Ingraham out for peddling conspiracy theories.
MacFarlane called her remark "insane," stressing that everyone wants this time of self-isolation and economic stagnation to end.
He was far from the only one to point out Ingraham's idiocy.
What's more, journalists covering the story are often at higher risk of exposure to the virus because they're interacting with healthcare workers, patients, and others at the frontlines of the effort to stop the virus.
Prematurely reopening the economy could lead to a surge in infections, leading to even more deaths.
Do Laura Ingraham and her ilk care about that?
For a deeper look into the Fox News brand of misinformation, check out Fox Nation vs Reality, available here.
