CNN's Anderson Cooper: Trump is 'Hijacking' Coronavirus Press Briefings
'What you saw was a hijacking,' the CNN anchor claimed
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CNN anchor Anderson Cooper has joined fellow hosts and Democrats accusing President Donald Trump of "hijacking" his own White House coronavirus task force press briefings.
Cooper said Trump was "determined" to rewrite the history of his early response to the coronavirus, accusing him of using the briefings as a reelection platform.
"If you tuned into it hoping you were going to hear from the country's top scientists, you were likely disappointed," Cooper began.
"What you mostly heard was the president. And what you saw was a hijacking," he said.
"A hijacking of the task force press conference by a president determined to rewrite the history of his early and reprehensibly irresponsible response to this virus," Cooper added.
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"What the president showed us today is what the nation's top scientists have to deal with every day- a president who now uses these briefings as a reelection platform, an opportunity to lie, to deflect, to attack, to bully, and cover-up his own deadly dismissals of the virus for crucial weeks."
Copper then went on to blast Trump for his treatment of reporters who were "attacked and belittled," while defending the Department of Health and Human Services Inspector General Christi Grimm, who released a report claiming medical supply shortages.
But Trump said the report had probably been politicized.
Assistant Secretary for Health Brett Giroir later in the press conference noted problems with the report, one of which that it was done in the early days of the Trump administration’s response to the coronavirus.
"I just have to point out that this is not normal, and it matters because this is life or death," Cooper said.
WATCH:
.@andersoncooper calls today's coronavirus briefing a “hijacking of the task force press conference by a President determined to rewrite the history of his early and reprehensibly irresponsible response.”
— CNN (@CNN) April 7, 2020
“This is not normal and it matters because this is life or death,” he adds pic.twitter.com/gMg4YfYeDH
CNN Pundit Calls Trump ‘Ret*rded’ In Now Deleted Tweet
— Neon Nettle (@NeonNettle) April 5, 2020
READ MORE: https://t.co/CxksSGgJNR
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Copper also slammed Trumof for claiming a "victory" over coronavirus testing, while ignoring the President's message of hope saying there is "light at the end of the tunnel," telling his viewers no one knows "how long that tunnel may be" or "how dim the light currently is."
CNN has chosen to ignore much or all of the president's prepared remarks at the top of each briefing, claiming they'd rather hear from medical experts like Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Deborah Birx.
Last month, CNN anchor Don Lemon called for his network to discontinue airing President Trump's daily coronavirus briefings because they've become his "new rallies."
During his nightly standoff with Chris Cuomo, Lemon said:
"I have said I don't think that you should really listen to what he says, you should listen to what the experts say."
"I'm not actually sure if you want to be honest, that we should carry that live," Lemon said.
"I think we should run snippets. I think we should do it afterward and get the pertinent points to the American people because he's never, ever going to tell you the truth."
