White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany accused the media Wednesday of “hypocrisy” in its coverage of protests amid the pandemic, particularly as President Donald Trump returns to the campaign trail.
“Will the president or the White House take responsibility if people get sick at catch the coronavirus at this rally?” CNN’s chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta asked, referring to Trump’s upcoming rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma. McEnany responded by assuring him that safety measures were in place.
“CDC guidelines are recommended, but not required,” McEnany continued. “It’s the personal choice of individuals as to what to do, but if we want to talk about internal coherence, I believe that the media needs to work on internal coherence.”
McEnany held up a Post front page that read: “SICK HYPOCRISY.” (RELATED: The Media’s Coronavirus Concern Trolling Has Completely Disappeared)
A number of media outlets and journalists have covered the protests which occurred in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death very positively, despite the fact that they violated social distancing guidelines recommended by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
McEnany called the difference in media coverage “really remarkable.” (RELATED: Trump Says He’d Delete His Twitter Account ‘In A Heartbeat’ If It Weren’t For ‘Fake News’)
“It’s really remarkable, and I think the American people have taken notice,” she continued.
WATCH:
The president is scheduled to host his first campaign rally in months on Saturday inside Tulsa’s Bank of Oklahoma Center, which seats 19,000 people. Vice President Mike Pence told Fox News Tuesday that the Trump campaign was considering moving the rally to a larger, outdoor venue, following a request from Republican Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt.
“We’ve had such an overwhelming response that we’re also looking at another venue. We’re also looking at outside activities and I know the campaign team will keep the public informed as that goes forward,” Pence said.