Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel are nervous at how much Trump thinks he's nailed the coronavirus response
President Trump thinks he's been doing a great job managing the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S., as The Daily Show highlighted Tuesday night.
The Democrats winnowed their field on Super Tuesday, but "I'm not sure why we even need a new president when the one we have is doing a pretty darn great job," Jimmy Kimmel deadpanned at Kimmel Live. "For whatever reason, Trump had a televised roundtable at the White House with a group of pharmaceutical executives about the coronavirus," and "of all the clips we've seen of our president at work, this one might be the scariest of all."
He may not understand how vaccines work, but "Trump is very upbeat about this coronavirus and really seems to be getting a handle on the science behind it," Kimmel laughed, playing a clip of Trump trying out a new word. "Not only did he learn a new word today, he made one up, too," he added. "The 'viver' — as in, we are up the viver without a paddle."
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There's a theory that Trump put Vice President Mike Pence "in charge of the coronavirus in order to throw him under the bus" and replace him with Nikki Haley, Kimmel said, "and the other rumor involving Pence is that a few days ago, Pence shook hands with a student in Florida who has since been quarantined for potentially having the coronavirus. Team Pence denies this — of course they deny it. If Trump thought Mike Pence was anywhere near the coronavirus, he'd never let him in the White House again. He'd keep him out in the yard on a leash or something." Still, he played out how Pence could infect everyone in Washington — "except Melania, who's been self-quarantining for about three years now."
The new coronavirus has spread to at least 15 states, and not only is Trump demonstrating he's not "on top of the crisis," we also "have no idea how far coronavirus has actually spread in the United States," Stephen Colbert said at The Late Show. "As of last week, the CDC has tested just under 500 Americans with suspected infections. Other nations have tested patients by tens of thousands." To keep yourself and others safe, experts urge people to frequently wash their hands for 20 seconds, and you can watch Colbert suggest some songs to hum below. Peter Weber
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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
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