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Trump Covid-19 adviser Scott Atlas clarifies 'rise up' tweet after Gov Whitmer's orders: 'I'm not articulate'

Atlas said, 'What I meant -- and I'm sorry, I'm not very articulate on Twitter -- is basically if you want to change things, you have to have your voices heard'

On Sunday, November 15, in a night press conference, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced new restrictions imposed through the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services order. It will temporarily halt in-person teaching at high schools and colleges, dine-in services at restaurants and bars, high school athletics as well as shut down of some establishments, including movie theatres, bowling alleys and casinos, reports Detroit News. Meanwhile, the indoor residential gathering has been limited to two households at one point in time. The new regulations will be effective starting Wednesday, November 18, and is scheduled to end on December 8, three weeks later.

As reported by MEAWW, Whitmer received both praise and criticism for her actions. Democrats have praised her for taking stringent action against the novel coronavirus situation. Senate Minority Jim Ananich, D-Flint, who has been tested positive for the virus reacted to Whitmer’s move saying, “We are at a true tipping point where we can either choose to surrender to the virus or we can make difficult, but temporary, changes to our lifestyles to prevent spread.” However, it hasn’t gone down well with Republicans. Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey issued a statement in response to Governor’s latest restrictions. He said, “While we were meeting in good faith, Gov Whitner was working on her own strategy that did not include input from the Senate Republicans and we see the result of her plans in this latest round of restrictions.”

Dr Scott Atlas, who was selected by President Donald Trump in August as an adviser for the White House coronavirus task force, criticized the decision in a tweet. He said, “The only way this stops is if people rise up. You get what you accept. #FreedomMatters #StepUp.”

Whitmer addressed the tweet on MSNBC’s ‘Morning Joe’. She said, as reported by Daily Mail, “It actually took my breath away, to tell you the truth. We are in the midst of the worst weeks of this pandemic. We have been going through this for nine months and right now the numbers are as bad as they have been at any given time and so we have to take aggressive measures.”

In a follow up tweet, Dr Atlas wrote: “Hey. I NEVER was talking at all about violence. People vote, people peacefully protest. NEVER would I endorse or incite violence. NEVER!!” Dr Atlas’ tweet was also addressed by president-elect Joe Biden in his press conference. As stated by Independent, Biden said: “The idea that the president’s now existing, remaining adviser on Covid is saying that they should resist - what the hell is the matter with these guys? What is the matter with them? Resist? Every major individual of any consequence in the health field is saying we can save 100,000 lives just between now and 21 January by wearing these masks.” He also said, “We are talking about 350,000 to 400,000 people dying. I mean what are they doing? It’s totally irresponsible. Irresponsible.”

Now, Atlas also clarified his point on Fox News. He told ‘The Story’ host Martha MacCallum, “Well, adding to the list of things I'm not, is I'm not very good at Twitter and I take responsibility for what I tweeted. I didn't mean anything, I think, that people are inferring from that and I clarified it right afterwards."

He added, “I get emails, I would say, you know, every couple of weeks from someone who has had a family member commit suicide because of the lockdowns. I have people begging me to do anything I can to end the lockdowns. And so what I meant — and I'm sorry, I'm not very articulate on Twitter — is basically if you want to change things, you have to have your voices heard. I didn't mean anything more than that. I think that's obvious in the United States. I didn't mean to threaten or incite violence.”

The Fox News report also stated, Stanford University, where Atlas is on leave from his position as a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, issued a statement Monday, November 16, evening that Atlas' tweets “reflect his personal views, not those of the Hoover Institution or the university”. The statement said, "Stanford’s position on managing the pandemic in our community is clear. We support using masks, social distancing, and conducting surveillance and diagnostic testing. We also believe in the importance of strictly following the guidance of local and state health authorities.”

In August, MEAWW had reported, Atlas has a strong stand against continuing lockdowns and closure of schools and wants to quicken the process of "herd" immunity. He is not an infectious disease expert and specializes in reading and interpreting imaging like X-rays, CT Scans, and MRIs. He worked as a professor and chief of neuroradiology at Stanford University Medical Center between 1998 and 2012.