Yesterday the Biden administration announced travel restrictions after the emergence of a new coronavirus variant in South Africa. CNN’s Jim Acosta shared the story:
Biden to restrict travel from South Africa and seven other countries starting Mondayhttps://t.co/xS2HUbNVes
— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) November 26, 2021
What a difference a year (and a different president) makes when it comes to how the media reports on virus-related issues.
I thought that was racist.
— XiVariantMac (@ScrutonsHair) November 26, 2021
If Trump was in office, this would have been the “Africa ban.” https://t.co/y4XE08djgV
— Yoni Michanie (@YoniMichanie) November 27, 2021
And the xenophobia of the Biden admin as he shut down travel from Africa?
You know, like you did with trump.— Tasha J Tucker (@TashaJTucker1) November 26, 2021
Didn’t you call Trump Xenophobic for banning travel? https://t.co/qnfegAtx8v
— wayne edson (@wjedson) November 26, 2021
Before we get to that, here’s what Joe Biden had to say early last year about the Trump administration’s travel restrictions:
A wall will not stop the coronavirus.
Banning all travel from Europe — or any other part of the world — will not stop it.
This disease could impact every nation and any person on the planet — and we need a plan to combat it.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) March 13, 2020
For some reason many media outlets aren’t asking the Biden administration how the “science” on travel restrictions has changed.
And here’s what Acosta was saying at the time about how Trump was handling things:
— Rich Weinstein (@phillyrich1) November 27, 2021
Around the same time Trump put travel restrictions in place, Acosta said that Trump pointing out that the virus originated in Wuhan, China “could come across to Americans as smacking of xenophobia”:
Say it ain’t so Jim pic.twitter.com/4ZPkQNhqrZ
— Luca Brasi (@Seamon_N_UrEye) November 26, 2021
Now that Biden’s in office, we’re not going to hear any rhetoric like that coming from the “journalists” at CNN.
Here’s Acosta with CNN medical analyst Leana Wen today. The CNN journo took no exception to Wen agreeing with Biden’s travel restrictions (which don’t start until Monday):
3 key Qs about new #covid19 variants:
1) Is it more contagious?
2) Is it more virulent?
3) Is there immune escape?
Lots unanswered re Omicron, but the Biden admin had to act. Imagine the outcry if they did not institute a travel ban & this variant took hold in the US. @Acosta pic.twitter.com/EJvFQuhTR2— Leana Wen, M.D. (@DrLeanaWen) November 27, 2021
There’s certainly been a big media pivot.
How cute!
(remember the racist outcry’s when Trump instated a travel ban?)
— Napoleon Dolemite (@NDolemite) November 27, 2021
Remember when Biden called Trump a xenophobic for banning some travel from China? I remember.
— LouisianaLady (@Marie77912461) November 27, 2021
They probably remember too but just hope nobody else does.
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