MSNBC host Joe Scarborough mocked Sen. John Kennedy after the Republican indicated Wednesday he was willing to sacrifice the safety of some people to reopen the U.S. economy following a nationwide outbreak of the coronavirus.
“Well, it’s just one of the dumbest things I’ve actually heard him say, and he’s said so many stupid things over the past year, it’s hard to count,” Scarborough said on his morning program Thursday.
Kennedy on Wednesday night was asked by Fox News host Tucker Carlson about recent shutdown measures taken by nearly every state in the country to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
“Trying to burn down the village to save it is foolish,” Kennedy said. “Yes, we shut down. But the shutdown did not stop the spread of the virus. … The shutdown slowed the spread of the virus but at enormous cost.”
President Trump this week said he was working with state governors to create a plan to lift social distancing measures and get people back to work, despite warnings from U.S. health experts that a premature relaxation of the regulations could lead to another spike in coronavirus cases.
Scarborough said Kennedy’s rhetoric on placing a higher priority on economic interests rather than public safety was dangerous.
“He says in his corn pone, made-up accent,” Scarborough said, mimicking Kennedy, “‘Yeah, we closed down, people still died.'”
Scarborough said Kennedy was “playing dumb on TV, but he knows” social distancing measures were working to slow the spread of the virus.
“He actually talks like Sherlock Holmes when he’s behind closed doors,” Scarborough continued. “But he knows, Willie [Geist], that it’s the businesses, the small business owners that you and I know, and Mika knows so well, that own family businesses and own small restaurants and small bars and small shops. They’re the ones that are going to be hurt the most if we reopen the businesses. … It’s just stupid and shortsighted, and he knows it.”
