FOX News commentators Diamond & Silk (aka Lynnette Hardaway and Rochelle Richardson) suggested the rising number of coronavirus deaths is a media conspiracy meant to make Donald Trump look bad.
Transcript of the FOX Nation hosts, via Media Matters:
SILK: In a matter of two weeks, over 1,000 people supposedly died from the coronavirus. In a two weeks time period, over 1,000 people after being tested positive have died from the coronavirus. But it took 39 days, from January all the way up to February the 29th I believe —
DIAMOND: For the first person.
SILK: For the first person to die. Here's another thing —
DIAMOND: Come on.
SILK: Here's another thing. My president said on March the 24th, Tuesday this past week, my president said that he would love for America to be back up and running.
DIAMOND: I knew this was going to happen. I knew after he said this this was going to happen. Go ahead.
SILK: At the time he said it there was 25,489 cases with 307 deaths. Instantaneously, you had the media calling President Trump out, he wanted open by Easter, he want this open by Easter – me and you was talking, I said now watch the number of deaths go up —
DIAMOND: Right.
SILK: Watch everything increase because they wanted to make it look bad in front of our eyes.
Writes Mediaite: “Under different circumstances, Diamond & Silk's brand of binary political finger-pointing is understandable, even may be seen as good fun by many of their viewers. But during a global pandemic when so many lives are at risk, unproven conspiracy theories are literally deadly. And those who provide the enormous platform to irresponsible commentary should also be held to account. Diamond & Silk are not employed by Fox News, but their content is licensed in the same manner that many television or streaming programs are underwritten by networks. When reached for comment, Fox News had nothing in response.”
