'Coronavirus is common cold folks!': Rush Limbaugh claims China weaponized virus to bring down Trump
Conservative radio personality and Republican sympathizer Rush Limbaugh never disappoints his fans. The 69-year-old, who recently revealed that he has an advanced form of lung cancer, has now opined that the deadly coronavirus has been sensationalized to bring down President Donald Trump.
In the wake of the crumbling stock markets across the world amid the spread of the virus that has affected thousands globally, Limbaugh said that it was being used to see the end of Trump. He also dismissed the virus’ symptoms. He also asserted it was a "bioweapon" created by China in a laboratory.
On February 24, Limbaugh said: "Folks, this coronavirus thing, I want to try to put this in perspective for you. It looks like the coronavirus is being weaponized as yet another element to bring down Donald Trump. Now, I want to tell you the truth about the coronavirus... The coronavirus is the common cold, folks."
"The survival rate of this is 98%. You have to read very deeply to find that number. Two percent of the people that get the coronavirus die. That’s less than the flu, folks. That is a far lower death statistic than any form of influenza, which is an annual thing that everybody gets shots for. There's nothing unusual about the coronavirus. In fact, coronavirus is not something new. There are all kinds of viruses that have that name," the radio host added.
Speaking in a way that reminisced the Cold War era, Limbaugh warned his listeners not to "let (their) guard down" because the infection would turn "miserable". He then said: "I'm telling you, the (Chinese communists) are trying to weaponize this thing."
Trump administration is worried about coronavirus
Although it remains controversial whether the coronavirus has been "weaponized" to derail Trump, there is no doubt that the virus' spread and the fall of the stock markets have caused a serious concern for the American leadership in the election year. Stephen Moore, an economic advisor to Trump's team, said the White House was seeing it as a classic "black swan" event.
"The view in the White House is that this is one of those classic black swan events, and all we can do is control the health issues in the US," he was quoted as saying by Politico.
"Trump’s reelection effort is so closely tied to the strength of the stock market and the economy. Anything that shakes us off of that pro-growth track is a concern, but I think the view of officials in the White House is that this will be contained," he added.
The virus' spread has a political impact too. On February 24, the Trump administration sent a supplemental budget request to Capitol Hill. This was worth $2.5B for additional funds to fight the virus. House Democrats called it insufficient, giving a hint that a political battle was on. The president, however, tweeted on February 25 that the situation was under control and that the US was in contact with all the relevant countries. He also added that the stock market is starting to look "very good".
Around 1,800 people in China have been killed by the virus while at least 71,000 have been infected. It has also been confirmed by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention that the 2019 coronavirus is about 20 times deadlier than the common flu. The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in the US is 53 so far.
Limbaugh is known for his controversial comments. Last year in February, he dismissed climate change as "nothing but a bunch of computer models that attempt to tell us what's going to happen in 50 years or 30".
The veteran radio host was honored by Trump, with whom he shares a rapport, with the Medal of Freedom during the State of the Union earlier this month. First Lady Melania Trump placed the medal on a visibly surprised Limbaugh who had revealed the news about his ailment just a day ago. The unprecedented move met with backlash from several quarters with one Democratic representative calling it a slap in the face to every deserving person.