Fox News Host Tucker Carlson made a baffling assertion about the cause of the newest novel strain of coronavirus, known as COVID-19, on show Tucker Carlson Tonight.
He blamed "wokeness" and American media for the spread of the extremely contagious virus.
Carlson asserted that people's calls to avoid overt racism and blatant xenophobia in the face of the deadly virus are to blame for its spread.
His rant included various criticisms of "identity politics" and "wokeness" and media coverage of the outbreak.
Carlson said that anyone who tried to protect themselves from the virus was called a bigot because of media coverage highlighting the very real increase in anti-asian racism and xenophobia that the virus has caused.
"For weeks the media told you it was wrong to worry about the coronavirus, a mysterious, highly communicable lethal disease spreading rapidly around the world."
"If that concerns you in any way, if you think maybe we ought to take some steps to protect ourselves from it, then you're a bigot."
"Countless publications wagged their fingers in the face of readers, and told them it was irrational, probably immoral in fact to worry about the coronavirus than the annual flu."
He then went on to claim that "wokeness" is a cult that promotes diversity above the public interest.
"Identity politics trumped public health and not for the first time. Wokeness is a cult. They would let you die before they admitted that diversity is not our strength."
Twitter users weren't about to let Carlson just say whatever he wanted unchallenged, though.
Carlson isn't known for being the most tolerant person to begin with but this newest hot take is even more ridiculous than usual.
Hyper-conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh, on the other hand, claimed the opposite: that the media has overplayed the significance of the COVID-19 outbreak in an attempt to hurt Donald Trump.
Limbaugh asserted that the deadly virus is nothing more than "the common cold" and that it has been "weaponized" to discredit the President.
"It looks like the coronavirus is being weaponized as yet another element to bring down Donald Trump."
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