Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams Raises Eyebrows With 'Big Momma' Comments Aimed at Minorities

Surgeon General Jerome Adams has become the latest member of the Trump administration to raise [...]

By Christian Long

Surgeon General Jerome Adams has become the latest member of the Trump administration to raise eyebrows during remarks at the daily coronavirus briefings. Speaking to reporters on Friday, and directing his comments at communities of color, Adams spoke about the social distancing guidelines, encouraging everyone to adhere to them for the time being.

"If you must go out, maintain six feet of distance between you and everyone else and wear a mask if you're going to be within six feet of others. Wash your hands more often than you'd ever dreamed possible. Avoid alcohol, tobacco and drugs. And call your friends and family, check in on your mother, she wants to hear from you, right now."

While Adams' advice was sound, it was the next part of his speech that drew some criticism from viewers online. Specifically when he stated that "we need you to this, if not for yourself, then for your Abuela."

"Do it for your granddaddy," Adams continued. "Do it for your big momma, do it for your pop-pop. We need you to understand, especially in communities of color, we need you to step up and help stop the spread so we can protect those who are most vulnerable."

Obviously, viewers couldn't wait to weigh in about the whole thing on Twitter.

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Trump himself has also been accused of using racist language as part of his coronavirus response, particularly for his use of the term "Chinese virus."

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After his initial use of the phrase turned heads in mid-March, Trump doubled down on his use in an interview with CNN. Specifically, he says it "[because] it comes from China. It's not racist at all, no, not at all. It comes from China, that's why. I want to be accurate."

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Not long after his comments to CNN, a photographer spotted a page of Trump's speech, which had "coronavirus" crossed out and "Chinese virus" written in its place.

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Trump has also been regularly criticized for his candor during the daily briefings, including his semi-regular tweets about how well the broadcasts are doing in the ratings.

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On Wednesday, Colin Hanks, whose father was one of the first celebrities to speak out about testing positive for the virus, along with wife, Rita Wilson, spoke out against Trump's recent criticism of the World Health Organization.

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"Once again, he blames other for HIS actions," Hanks wrote. "Or in this case: complete lack of it." He also added the hashtag #HeIsNoLeader.

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