U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., did not hold back in responding to President Biden effectively mocking freedom during a town hall aired Thursday on CNN, saying it’s “absurd” that the Democratic president would take such as stance against Americans hesitant to go along with COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
The president also supported without hesitation vaccine mandates for first responders during the friendly town hall, even if that means letting them go for noncompliance.
“Yes and yes,” the president replied, in response to a question from host Anderson Cooper.
“Two things that concern me, one are those who just try to make this a political issue,” Biden said later. “Freedom. ‘I have the freedom to kill you with my COVID.’ No, come on, freedom? Number one. Number two, the second one is that, you know, the gross misinformation that’s out there.”
In a Friday morning appearance on “Fox & Friends,” Stefanik blasted Biden and called his remarks “un-American.”
“My reaction is this is absolutely absurd and sadly it’s very typical of Joe Biden and the Biden administration to attack Americans’ everyday freedoms,” she said. “First of all, they’re turning their backs on law enforcement officers and first responders, who put their lives and their health on the line every single day, particularly during the COVID pandemic.”
Stefanik pointed to the consequence of “these unconstitutional mandates,” citing staffing shortages in New York.
“We have seen walkouts and this is while our hospitals, our community health centers have already faced staffing shortages, and even in my district we have a rural hospital that’s no longer able to deliver children, deliver babies because of these mandates,” she said. “So it’s unconstitutional and it is an attack on everyday freedoms and it’s something that House Republicans are fighting back against and I give credit to Republican governors across the country who are also challenging these unconstitutional announcements from the administration.”
Co-host Ainsley Earhardt asked Stefanik about whether women wanting to get pregnant should be allowed an exemption.
“Absolutely there should be religious exemptions and we want to encourage every American to have those important conversations with your doctor,” Stefanik said. “We are promoting vaccines. We have invested in vaccines, but every person situation is different. In many cases people contracted Covid and have the natural immunity. So there needs to be flexibility. These mandates are unconstitutional and it’s an attack on freedoms in the country and to have the president of the United States mock freedom, frankly that’s un-American.”
She also called on New Yorkers “to stand up and demand better leadership from their mayors, from their governors and from the president of the United States.”
Fox News contributor Katie Pavlich, who is a rotating co-host of the daytime show Outnumbered, who also co-hosts The Five, responded to the president’s “terrifying” remarks against freedom by firing off a tweet.
“Fully vaccinated people spread Wuhan coronavirus, Joe,” she said in a tweet. “Unvaccinated people aren’t infected people. Also, terrifying the American president speaks of eliminating freedom so flippantly.”
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
Tom Tillison grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a young teen. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills. Tillison also contributes to BizPac Review.
Comment
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.