Inside the Beltway: Hollywood deploys coronavirus against Trump

NEWS AND OPINION:

They’ve got showmanship working for them, and fame. A growing cast of Hollywood liberals are using alarming news about coronavirus to criticize President Trump and his administration.

Not everyone has gone this route, of course. Some celebrities have donated money to charities which support public health and research; others have released selfies of themselves in face masks or shared recommended safety protocols. Some are not going that neutral route, however.

“The left-wing Hollywood celebrities are stoking public hysteria over the coronavirus, using social media to spread fear as well as disinformation about President Trump’s response to the deadly global outbreak. While some stars are using the coronavirus to re-air their hatred of all things Trump, many other celebrities are fanning the flames by making false claims about President Trump and Vice President Pence, accusing the White House of lying to the American public and exacerbating the problem,” writes David Ng, who covers celebrity matters for Breitbart News.

His lengthy list of outspoken celebrities includes Cher, Rob Reiner, Barbra Streisand, Bette Midler, Rosie O’Donnell and Jason Alexander.

“You realize if coronavirus does what scientists say, it means that Trump and GOP would rather see you and yours sicken and die rather than admit they were/are wrong,” Mr. Alexander recently tweeted to his 557,500 followers.

“Filmmaker Rob Reiner tweeted that President Trump needs to be quarantined, referring to the president as the ’lying moron’,” writes Mr. Ng.

“Alyssa Milano took coronavirus hysteria to another level by suggesting that Mr. Trump could be impeached for his response to the virus,” he says.

Some famous folks, however, will have none of it. Jurgen Klopp, manager of the high-profile Liverpool Football Club declined to comment on the impact of coronavirus.

“It’s not important what famous people say,” Mr. Klopp recently told the press. “I wear a baseball cap and have a bad shave. My opinion is really not important.”

His decision received an accolade from PRWeek, an industry publication.

“At the moment, we have far too many unqualified people sharing their unqualified opinions about pretty much everything, all the time (thank you fake news) — and particularly when it comes to coronavirus, often spurred on by the hysteria-inducing media coverage on the topic,” noted Samantha Losey, a managing partner for Unity, a PR agency based in London.

BIDEN’S RENT: $19,000 A MONTH

Democratic presidential hopeful and former Vice President Joseph R. Biden is not roughing it during the 2020 election.

“The former VP and once-dubbed ’poorest senator’ has been doing quite well since he and Barack Obama officially left office, reportedly raking in millions thanks to book deals and speaking events (some paying up to $200,000). So why wouldn’t he move into a 12,000-square-foot Georgian style home ’surrounded by Washington elite’ in McLean, Virginia?” asks Stephanie Maida, managing editor of “Guest of a Guest,” a news organization focused on luxury and social events, among other things.

Mr. Biden currently rents the “mini-White House” mansion — which has classic columns and traditional decor — for $19,000 a month.

“With five bedrooms, nine baths, a gym, and an in-house sauna, it’s a pretty luxurious spread,” reports Ms. Maida.

THE CHICKEN NOODLE FACTOR

Preparedness for the coronavirus includes the availability of comfort food.

Campbell Soup CEO Mark Clouse has revealed that his company has upped their production to make sure nobody run out of such old-school food favorites as chicken noodle and tomato soup. The company seeks to “maximize” their inventory, Mr. Clouse told CNBC. They company is also making sure they don’t run out of Goldfish crackers, Prego spaghetti sauce and delectable Milano cookies either.

Smart. The company, meanwhile, is sitting pretty, all things considered.

“Campbell’s stock, which has a market value of $15.9 billion, closed Wednesday up 10% after its second-quarter earnings topped estimates and it raised its full-year outlook. Shares have been given a lift in recent days as investors forecast increased demand for its soup due to the outbreak — which each boast their own appeal for munching America,” CNBC advises.

THE ENTHUSIASM FACTOR

Election day is still eight months off. But at the moment, Republicans are besting Democrats in terms of their enthusiasm to vote.

“Republicans are expressing the most enthusiasm they have in the early months of any election since Gallup first measured this in 2000. The current 64% feeling more enthusiastic easily beats the prior high of 53% in 2012 and 2004 for this time of year,” writes Lydia Saad, a Gallup analyst.

“Democrats’ enthusiasm (58%), in turn, well exceeds where it stood at a slightly later point in 2016 (43% in May) and in February 2012 (45%) and March 2000 (33%). It matches the level recorded in January/February 2004 (59%) but is considerably lower than in February 2008 (79%),” Ms. Saad notes.

More numbers in the Poll du Jour that follows.

POLL DU JOUR

• 67% of U.S. adults say they have given “quite a lot of thought” to the presidential election; 70% of Republicans, 58% of independents, 76% of Democrats agree.

• 30% of overall say they have given “only a little thought” to the election; 20% of Republicans, 36% of independents, 23% of Democrats agree.

• 59% overall say they are “more enthusiastic” about voting this election than previous elections; 68% of Republicans, 50% of independents, 63% of Democrats agree.

• 12% overall say they are “as enthusiastic”; 16% of Republicans, 10% of independents, 13% of Democrats agree.

• 28% overall say they are “less enthusiastic”; 16% of Republicans, 40% of independents, 23% of Democrats agree.

Source: A Gallup poll of 1,020 U.S. adults conducted Feb. 17-28 and released Friday.

• Kindly follow Jennifer Harper on Twitter @HarperBulletin.