People Think Jim Jordan’s Weird Tweet About Fauci And Christmas Is A Spoof. It’s Not.
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) attacked Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious diseases expert, on Twitter Friday with a post that many critics mockingly suggested could be a parody.
Fauci has warned that Americans should “avoid travel and avoid congregate settings” over the holidays in a bid to curb the spread of the coronavirus, which is raging across the country and has killed more than 275,000 Americans.
Jordan’s response: “What will he cancel next? Saying Merry Christmas?”
Dr. Fauci says Americans should “avoid travel” over the holidays.
What will he cancel next?
Saying Merry Christmas?— Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) December 4, 2020
Jordan’s effort to turn a piece of public health guidance into a salvo in the so-called “war on Christmas” stunned many.
Critics reminded Jordan that the daily case counts, hospitalizations and death toll associated with COVID-19 are all still rising. This past Wednesday alone, nearly as many Americans died of COVID-19 as died in the Sept. 11 attacks.
Public health experts fear another dire surge in the figures after data suggested many people did not really abstain from traveling over Thanksgiving.
“It’s like a right-wing mad libs,” author John DeVore wrote of Jordan’s post.
The Republicans have achieved some sort of singularity where a parody Republican account and an actual Republican account have become indistinguishable. https://t.co/XlbPVNphmV
— Elie Mystal (@ElieNYC) December 5, 2020
My dentist says to floss, what’s next, me not being allowed to eat food?
— Brendel (@Brendelbored) December 5, 2020
Why would avoiding travel mean canceling Christmas & not celebrating? A serious question. You can celebrate no matter what.
If a blizzard had you homebound on Christmas Day, you'd make do, & enjoy the day. Well, we're in a viral blizzard.
This is why you are laughed at by many.— Michelangelo Signorile (@MSignorile) December 5, 2020
Fucking hell.
A vaccine is literally *days* away from being approved; one's already been approved in the UK! Just fucking put off your travel for a few months. Is that so fucking hard?
Apparently, it is... because people like you are selfish self-centered assholes.— Pé (@4everNeverTrump) December 5, 2020
It's hard to imagine there's a congressman stupider than Louie Gohmert and Matt Gaetz put together, but here we are.
— Benjamin Dreyer (@BCDreyer) December 5, 2020
I cant believe you're an elected official.
— David Weissman (@davidmweissman) December 4, 2020
— Fitz 🏳️🌈 (@cmfitz12) December 4, 2020
Don't worry Jim.
If you and your GOP friends have your way...
... there will be significantly less people to say Merry Christmas to because they'll either be on ventilators or be dead. https://t.co/hwC8drYkex— Steve Marmel (@Marmel) December 5, 2020
About 8,400 Americans died from COVID over the last three days and this clown is still doing the War on Christmas bullshit https://t.co/IVpMjzKtZC
— Don Moynihan (@donmoyn) December 5, 2020
The Idiocracy won't disappear when Trump leaves office. https://t.co/CwUb3NY6RE
— David Knowles (@writerknowles) December 5, 2020
it's like a right-wing mad libs https://t.co/1DYcXLvrcf
— John DeVore (@JohnDeVore) December 5, 2020
It's completely wild to me that this guy is an elected official. https://t.co/av43ZoZAJS
— Sara Amato (@saamato) December 4, 2020
Only if you say it really loud, while coughing, directly into someone else's face. https://t.co/Y4nsLlefEn
— Jonah Blank (@JonahBlank) December 5, 2020
He’s not canceling anything.
The leading infectious disease expert in our nation is recommending that folks not travel this holiday season because of the pandemic that’s killing as many people each day as the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Honestly, Gym, keep up. https://t.co/CO291dMuDp— Aaron Mahnke (@amahnke) December 4, 2020
The "war on Christmas" is one of the strangest things that a segment of the population just seems to latch on to every year around this time. So weird how people try to ride something that doesn't even remotely exist 🤷🏽♂️ https://t.co/HzkMnfbCKO
— Saad Yousuf (@SaadYousuf126) December 5, 2020
Yeah, cuz saying "Merry Christmas" can totally kill you, your grandmother or health care workers, not to mention cause us to run out of hospital space. https://t.co/TLsjDCcNsP
— Randi Mayem Singer (@rmayemsinger) December 5, 2020
Here are hospitalizations in Ohio—before any coming surge from Thanksgiving https://t.co/o8OTWFiFvD https://t.co/QiMFZL5NS0 pic.twitter.com/CRXfSro9Zc
— Carl Zimmer (@carlzimmer) December 5, 2020
During a pandemic, listen to doctors, not wrestling coaches.
Sincerely,
Your dad who wants you to live. https://t.co/rYWo9OyB5M— Wajahat "Wears a Mask Because of a Pandemic" Ali (@WajahatAli) December 5, 2020
This tweet will be in history books. https://t.co/ZLitLIYyCm
— Helen Kennedy (@HelenKennedy) December 5, 2020
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This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.