Rush Limbaugh Is fairly well-known for his disastrous hot takes on current events and his fervent support for Donald Trump.
His latest take is a little more out there than usual though.
During a recent broadcast of his talk show, The Rush Limbaugh Show, Limbaugh alleged that Dr. Anthony Fauci and other medical experts are "Hillary Clinton sympathizers."
Dr. Fauci has been strongly urging social distancing, then self-isolation and lockdown, since the outbreak began. The virus spreads through contact with other people, so the simplest way to slow the spread is to limit human contact.
Limbaugh asserted that Dr. Fauci and other experts were trying to damage Trump's reelection chances by blowing the current public health crisis out of proportion.
He also claimed that their recommendations for self-isolation were simply attempts to damage the economy and President Trump's standing.
"It's just, it's just—you know we've got all of these Hillary Clinton sympathizers still in the medical expert team here. And we know that one thing has not changed, and that is these people's desire, above everything else, to get rid of Donald Trump."
This isn't the first time Limbaugh has spread dangerously false information about the pandemic. Earlier this year, Limbaugh claimed that the virus was nothing more than the "common cold," which was being "weaponized" to damage the President's reputation.
He seems to have changed his mind about the legitimacy of the virus, yet again.
Though he is still claiming that health experts don't really have the public's best interests at heart.
"Now, I understand—look, I understand this virus is a deadly thing. I understand it's very serious. I understand all of that, please do not get confused here. But motivation is a key element to anything."
"Desire is a key element to accomplishment. It always has been. And we keep hearing, 'No, we've got to maintain this shutdown. In fact, we need to even intensify the shutdown. We need to keep people staying at home.'"
Sound medical advice, from multiple experts, but Limbaugh doesn't agree.
"I'm just telling you that there is an all-out subtle effort for the status quo because it's going to hurt Donald Trump. That is the objective. That is the only thing at the forefront of some of these people's minds while they portray themselves as being primarily concerned with public health."
You can view the full clip from The Rush Limbaugh Show below.
Many Twitter users were highly critical of Limbaugh's claims.
Limbaugh proposed that the" elderly and the susceptible" should continue to self isolate, but that we should "let the young and healthy out, let them get back to work." This ignores both the fact that many of the people who are young and healthy are caring for, or live with, people who are more likely to have complications from the virus.
Social distancing and isolation are only effective with most people participating.
Limbaugh's suggestion also ignores the fact that many of those being hospitalized for severe symptoms of the virus are young, otherwise healthy, people. It is not only affecting older people or people with pre-existing conditions.
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