Donald Trump Stirs Social Media by Mocking Joe Biden, Saying He'll 'Listen to the Scientists' If Elected

Michael Hein

10/19/2020 10:57 am EDT

On Sunday, President Donald Trump mocked his opponent, former Vice President Joe Biden, by saying Biden would "listen to scientists" if elected. Judging by the response on Twitter, that was not the take-down Trump hoped it would be, as many Americans expressed their excitement about the idea. Meanwhile, Trump openly admitted that he has not "listened totally to scientists" throughout the coronavirus pandemic.

"He's gonna want to lock down. He'll listen to the scientists," Trump said at a rally in Nevada on Sunday night. "If I listened totally to the scientists, we would right now have a country that would be in a massive depression instead — we're like a rocket ship. Take a look at the numbers." Trump was likely referring to the "numbers" in the stock market, which are not doing as well as he implied. Economists fear that without another stimulus check, the market is doomed to crash again, perhaps even worse than before.

Trump's anti-science rhetoric did not stop there. He condemned Democratic governors for "keeping their states closed" with various coronavirus relief measures, and said that these leaders would surrender their "future to the virus."

This kind of talk frustrated pundits on both sides of the political aisle. According to an analysis by NBC News, Trump's downplaying of the COVID-19 pandemic is not playing well in some states that typically vote Republican, particularly in the midwest. This has led several GOP senators to distance themselves from the president in recent weeks.

That trend continued after Trump mocked "scientists" amid a deadly global pandemic. Here is a look at how Twitter responded to that comment overnight.

Biden Spokesperson

Biden campaign spokesperson Andrew Bates spoke out against Trump's commentary on Sunday night. Not only did he condemn this anti-science philosophy, he argued that Trump had squandered a strong economy that he inherited from the Obama-Biden administration.

Slogan

Some argued that the Biden campaign should simply adopt this quote as a slogan, with no alterations at all. To them, "listening to scientists" was a top priority for the next president.

Trump Advisers

Meanwhile, some mocked Trump for who he listens to instead of scientists, calling out some of his most infamous advisers and influencers.

Hypocrite

Many critics also pointed out the many ways in which Trump has benefited from scientists, including his state-of-the-art COVID-19 treatment with the latest in experimental drugs and treatments. They wondered how he can impugn the people who may have saved his life less than a month ago.

Economy

As for Trump's brags about the economy, Americans had plenty of reason to dispute that as well. Some chimed in to remark on the income they've lost through this pandemic, even when their state's lock down restrictions were lifted.

Death Toll

Americans could not ignore the coronavirus numbers in contrast to the economic numbers, either, with nearly a quarter-million Americans now dead and millions more infected. According to Johns Hopkins University, the U.S. has a disproportionate amount of the world's cases.

Efficacy

Aside from mocking the president for this contradictory talking point, many critics wondered if it would really be as effective as the president seems to hope. Many guessed that at this point, even his loyal followers may start to defect as they see the impact of this pandemic on their communities and families.

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