MSNBC host Chris Hayes refused to air sound of President Donald Trump’s interviews on Tuesday, saying that Trump is becoming a “genuine threat to public health” with his “lies.”
Hayes ripped Trump on his MSNBC show for lying to the public “in the midst of a global pandemic” and saying things that are “dangerous.”
“The president went out today and said things that are flat out wrong, that are lies, and that are dangerous,” Hayes told his viewers on Tuesday evening. “That’s why we did not play you any sound of what he said today. Because frankly, the president has become… a genuine threat to public health.”
Hayes aired clips of Trump speaking to reporters, without sound, and attempted to rebut Trump’s “preposterous” statements.
Last week, as Breitbart News noted, calls increased from Trump’s critics to cable networks to stop airing Trump’s pressers live. They claimed Trump was turning the events into “virtual campaign rallies” and using the media like he did during the 2016 election cycle.
The Atlantic’s James Fallows even suggested that Trump could get bored and not even bother to show up if cable networks did not air the briefings live.
“Also, as a practical matter, if the briefings were no longer covered live, Trump would lose interest in attending himself,” Fallows argued. “Then the scientists could come back on stage—and eventually they could be covered live again.”
More cable show hosts, citing public health concerns, could follow Hayes’ lead in the days ahead as pressure keeps ramping up for networks to stop airing Trump live.