Jim Cramer of CNBC said that the daily task force briefings for coronavirus at the White House were “unwatchable,” to which he added that you “can’t tell whether things are great or things are catastrophic.”
Cramer made the comments to CNBC “Squawk Box” co-host Aaron Ross Sorkin during an appearance on that show on Thursday, where they discussed when drug makers would be able to come up with a vaccine, which has the potential to change people’s behavior, The Hill reported.
“In terms of changing people’s behavior, I’m not sure that’s built into the market right now,” Sorkin noted. “I think there is a sense in the marketplace that come at the end of this summer people are going back to some normal, no?”
“Dr. Fauci completely just made us feel awful again by talking about how horrible it’s going to be in the fall,” Cramer replied, referring to comments made on Wednesday by task members including Dr. Anthony Fauci about a potential resurgence of coronavirus in the fall.
“These press conferences or shows, whatever you call that, are now unwatchable,” Cramer continued. “They are unwatchable because you can’t tell whether things are great or things are catastrophic. So I’d rather just turn them off and focus on [a replay of] the 1984 NCAA finals.”
Fauci on Wednesday said he was “convinced” the coronavirus would revive in the fall.
“We will have coronavirus in the fall. I am convinced of that,” he said. “Whether or not it’s going to be big or small is going to depend on our response.”
At the same briefing on Wednesday Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Robert Redfield on Wednesday tried to temper remarks he made to The Washington Post about the threat of a second wave of the coronavirus, saying the thrust of his comments was meant to urge Americans to embrace the vaccine for the flu.
“I didn’t say that this was going to be worse. I said it was going to be more difficult and potentially more complicated because we would have flu and coronavirus circulating at the same time,” Redfield said at the top of a White House briefing.
The daily briefings on the pandemic have drawn criticism for spreading misinformation at times and being too political.
Overall, the daily briefing has averaged 8.5 million viewers, although some networks, including CNN, have cut in and out of the briefings.
The late afternoon briefings are attended by President Trump and Vice President Pence, along with a rotating number of task force members and other speakers.
Be the first to comment