Chelsea Clinton rips Limbaugh for ‘peddling’ fake news on coronavirus

Chelsea Clinton ripped conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh on Tuesday for “peddling” fake news on the coronavirus. 

The daughter of former President Clinton and former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton tweeted in response to Limbaugh’s comments on his show that the coronavirus epidemic was being “weaponized” against President Trump.

“February 25th, 2020: The day I wished Rush Limbaugh had stuck to comparing me to a dog,” she posted, referring to the radio host’s 1993 comments comparing the then-13-year-old Chelsea Clinton to a dog.

February 25th, 2020: The day I wished Rush Limbaugh had stuck to comparing me to a dog. Much better than his peddling #fakenews about coronavirus #COVIDー19 to his millions of listeners. https://t.co/uVf2ASBLCP

— Chelsea Clinton (@ChelseaClinton) February 25, 2020

Limbaugh compared the coronavirus to the common cold on his Monday show, although its symptoms can include a deadly form of pneumonia. More than 2,500 people in China have died from the virus, and the disease has infected more than 80,000 people worldwide. 

“Folks, this coronavirus thing, I want to try to put this in perspective for you. It looks like the coronavirus is being weaponized as yet another element to bring down Donald Trump,” Limbaugh said.

“You think I’m wrong about this?” he added. “I’m dead right on this. The coronavirus is the common cold, folks.”

Top health officials cautioned Tuesday that the spread of the novel virus in the U.S. seems to be inevitable. There have been 57 confirmed cases in the U.S., including 40 people who were returned to the country after being quarantined on the Diamond Princess cruise ship.