On Friday’s “Morning Joe,” host Joe Scarborough offered some on-air advice to conservative radio scion Rush Limbaugh, who’s been vocal about his doubts regarding the seriousness of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic: Bag groceries if you want to restart the economy.
On multiple occasions, Limbaugh has cast doubt on the number of coronavirus deaths, saying on Tuesday “there may be some politics involved” in what he thought were overinflated numbers. Public health experts, of course, believe the opposite: There are more deaths than are being reported, but a lack of access to testing means some coronavirus-related deaths that should be counted are not. On Thursday, Limbaugh suggested that public health experts like Dr. Anthony Fauci, who sits on the White House’s coronavirus task force, are “Hillary Clinton sympathizers” who want to “get rid” of President Donald Trump.
In late February, Limbaugh called the coronavirus “the common cold” that was “being weaponized as yet another element to bring down Donald Trump.”
“All of these Trump talking heads that are saying we should reopen the economy now, that Fauci — that it’s all a hoax? Hey, Rush Limbaugh? Why don’t you go to your local Publix and bag groceries?” Scarborough responded.
The MSNBC host went on, with encouragement from co-host Mika Brzezinski, “If you think it’s such a great idea that we open the economy, you can lead by example by going to a grocery store and bagging groceries. You can do it today.”
Limbaugh was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in February by Trump, just one day after revealing his diagnosis of advanced lung cancer. Scarborough did face some criticism from conservative media for suggesting the sick host expose himself.