As White House Press Secretary, Kayleigh McEnany's job is to put a positive spin on the words and actions of President Donald Trump.
If you've ever read something President Trump has said, you'll know this is not an easy task.
For instance, the President recently caused a controversy when he said that schools that followed his own administration's health and safety guidelines and remained closed due to the pandemic this fall should have their federal funding cut.
Trump threatens to cut federal funding for schools that don't reopen in fall https://t.co/TowzkyOQ8M https://t.co/N3f8SWJTl4— The Hill (@The Hill) 1594289224.0
President Trump threatened to cut off federal funding to school districts that do not reopen in person this fall an… https://t.co/3TVL3Pyn7M— NYT Politics (@NYT Politics) 1594231564.0
People hearing Trump's words were understandably outraged.
Why should schools trying to keep their staff and children safe and following instructions from the White House be penalized?
For many, this seemed like yet another attempt by the President to downplay the effects of the virus to minimize his political losses.
But Kayleigh McEnany had comforting words for all of us. It turns out that when Trump said he wanted to "cut off" funding to schools, he actually meant increase.
After all, "cut off" and increase are two terms frequently confused by people.
This Just In: Kayleigh McEnany just said this EXACT statement: "When Trump said he wanted to ‘cut off’ school fundi… https://t.co/5e3zNGHglG— Duty To Warn 🔉 (@Duty To Warn 🔉) 1594243668.0
Asked about Pres. Trump’s threat to “cut off” funding from schools that don’t reopen and what authority he has, Whi… https://t.co/jcXlT0ltGq— ABC News (@ABC News) 1594242133.0
McEnany said the White House believes all students should return to school regardless of the health risks.
Why?
Obviously, students need their school lunches.
Press Sec. Kayleigh McEnany: "The president will always stand up to teachers unions who want to keep these schools… https://t.co/zJvFUNJ2Rj— The Hill (@The Hill) 1594311300.0
Though this line of reasoning seems fairly flimsy, many online pointed out the Trump administration previously proposed cutting "nearly 1 million low-income students' free lunches."
McEnany also claimed Trump wanted to give schools more funding, but only if he won a second term in office.
“Why would he want to take funding away from schools?” one reporter asked. Kayleigh McEnany said when Trump said h… https://t.co/vl8IaBMk2r— Essenviews - Demand The Truth (@Essenviews - Demand The Truth) 1594253455.0
The White House also said any upcoming virus relief packages should include additional funds for schools.
They did not offer any details about how this would work.
Down is up https://t.co/15BVFa0ZU9— Allan Margolin (@Allan Margolin) 1594246282.0
People online were a bit insulted the White House thought they would buy such a blatant contradiction.
Of course Kayleigh McEnany said "when Trump said he wanted to ‘cut off’ school funding he meant he wants to increas… https://t.co/QQXLxmliWC— John Oberlin (@John Oberlin) 1594249974.0
Also: night is day, work equals freedom...and most especially, ignorance is strength. https://t.co/KF2Y1D3hEr— J.W. Snide (@J.W. Snide) 1594299278.0
It seemed fairly obvious to almost everyone on Twitter that McEnany was being dishonest.
Again.
Is Orwell getting royalties on 2020? https://t.co/6dId2wNnk3— Mikel Matthews Jr (@Mikel Matthews Jr) 1594288930.0
Will they ever JUST STOP LYING? https://t.co/Tafe4hbqlm— Glenn (@Glenn) 1594284843.0
Schools' primary concern should always be safety, even if that isn't politically advantageous for the President.