Fox News informed viewers via an appalling chyron Thursday that “Joe Biden should be finished” with his speech about the biggest pandemic in 100 years as Tucker Carlson waited impatiently to get on the air and bash what the president had just said.
In the meantime, Carlson “responded” to the speech with a series of grimaces in a live shot in a lower corner of the screen. He rolled his eyes, gritted his teeth, furrowed his brow and squinted as Biden talked about the nation’s continued battle against COVID-19.
“Biden should be finished; Tucker is on any minute,” the chyron read as Biden wrapped up his remarks after an economical 24 minutes. His predecessor, Donald Trump often meandered on air for at least an hour in presidential speeches and frequently wandered off-topic.
It was Biden’s first prime-time address from the White House. He announced he was directing states to make COVID-19 vaccines available to all adults by May 1 as the nation continues to battle a pandemic that has claimed more than 530,000 lives in the U.S. He said there was a “good chance” that “you, your family and friends” could celebrate together by the Fourth of July.
Biden also condemned “vicious hate crimes” against Asian Americans who have been targeted in a surging number of attacks ever since Trump blamed China for the coronavirus, often using racist slurs in speeches about it.
But enough about what the president of the nation had to say, let’s move on to Carlson, Fox News told its audience.
Carlson inexplicably called the speech “surreal,” like a “dream sequence.” He wondered why Biden didn’t mention “all of the people who might not want to take the shot.”
He also added in fury, addressing Biden and perplexing everyone: “Who are you talking to? This is a free people. This is a free country. How dare you tell us who we can spend the Fourth of July with?”
(Sean Hannity called on Biden to thank Trump, the man who repeatedly urged Americans to ignore health precautions as the nation’s COVID-19 death toll soared to the highest in the world.)
Viewers were gobsmacked.
A HuffPost Guide To Coronavirus
- Is it safe to see people who have gotten the coronavirus vaccine?
- What it means if your partner tests positive for COVID-19 but you don’t.
- How worried should you be about the new strains of coronavirus?
- The unexpected challenges of co-parenting during a pandemic.
- 19 things we took for granted pre-pandemic but now miss.
- Find all that and more on our coronavirus hub page.
As COVID-19 cases rise, it’s more important than ever to remain connected and informed. Join the HuffPost community today. (It’s free!)