Bill Maher Says Donald Trump ‘Personally Is Killing Other People’
Comedian Bill Maher used Friday’s edition of HBO’s Real Time to take aim at Donald Trump for his recent coronavirus infection, which the president contracted along with a number of White House officials, The Daily Beast reported.
“He’s literally infected others,” Maher said. “This f*ckin’ country is so f*ckin’ dense that they only could get it through their head that he’s a bad guy when he personally is killing other people. USA Today says he and his entourage has infected or exposed at least 6,000 people in five states — beating the old record set by Motley Crue.”
Most recently, reporting claimed that Trump’s September 18 rally in Bemidji, Minnesota, was linked to nine coronavirus cases in the state. Previously, former Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain died from COVID-19 not long after he was spotted at the U.S. leader’s comeback rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Maher also pointed to the internal FEMA memo that said 34 individuals within the Trump administration have contracted coronavirus.
“So far now we’re keeping count: 34 people have been infected in the White House. When the helicopter lands on the lawn now they’re playing the theme from M.A.S.H.”
Earlier in his opening monologue, the Real Time host claimed that Trump’s COVID-19 treatment — which the comedian noted average Americans would never get — did not reflect well on the president.
“When Trump gets sick he goes to Walter Reed,” he said. “The average American goes to Duane Reade.”
Trump has faced criticism for endangering others with his previous refusal to wear a mask, as well as his recent push to hold rallies soon after the completion of his treatment. As reported by The New York Times, Trump is expected to address conservative activists from the White House balcony on Saturday. On Monday, he will head to Florida to hold his first rally since contracting the virus.
While Trump claims he is not contagious, experts have been wary of his assertion. Although 10-days symptom-free is one general marker used to determine infectiousness, individuals with severe cases — as some believe Trump had — can spread the virus for longer. Per CNN, the president sparked concern when he coughed at least twice during his interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity. The U.S. leader has refused to state whether he had tested negative for the virus.
Anthony Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said that 10 days without symptoms along with two negative PCR lab tests 24 hours apart would be a reasonable scientific measure to determine that an individual is not currently carrying COVID-19.
