Controversial Fox News anchor has her say on Welsh response to Covid
A controversial American TV host has questioned the First Minister’s view that it is likely social distancing will remain in Wales for the rest of the year.
On Friday, Mark Drakeford described social distancing as the “strongest defence” against the virus, adding that he does not believe people in Wales want to see it gone.
He said: “I think they will remain part of the repertoire here in Wales during the rest of the summer, and maybe into the rest of this year.”
Yesterday Fox TV presenter Laura Ingraham asked her 3.7m Twitter followers to: “Think about this for a moment.”
Her latest comments have been criticised by people in Wales, the UK and the US.
Here in Wales, Luke Young said on Twitter: “One of the unexpected joys of the past year has been Fox News anchors’ horror at the Welsh response to Covid.”
One of the unexpected joys of the past year has been Fox News anchors’ horror at the Welsh response to Covid https://t.co/ngnhmbYWJD
— Luke Young (@LukeYoung) June 6, 2021
Her comments on the the Welsh Government’s much praised and successful policies on tackling Covid-19 can be compared to the acknowledged failure of the previous US Trump administration which worryingly failed to get to grips with the pandemic.
This isn’t the first time that the right-wing host has had it in for Wales.
Last year she warned that Joe Biden will institute “rolling lockdowns” to control the coronavirus – turning the US into Wales.
Ridicule
Ms Ingraham, one of Donald Trump’s most dogged media supporters, shared a BBC news article reporting that “Coronavirus: ‘Rolling lockdowns’ will become norm in Wales”, tweeting it along with the words: “Your future under Biden”.
The tweet was retweeted over 3,000 times, including by the Trump himself but was met with some degree of ridicule, with one user sarcastically musing tat “Wales is finally getting the respect it deserves.”
Ms Ingraham has tweeted about Welsh affairs before, correctly predicting that the country would vote to leave the European Union and sharing a Wales Online article about cuts at a Tata Steel plant in Port Talbot. “This is what happens when China overwhelms markets with too much capacity,” she wrote.
During the Coronovirus pandemic Ingraham repeatedly pushed for the unproven drug hydroxychloroquine to be used as a treatment for Covid-19.
She questioned whether attempts to “disprove effectiveness” of the drug was “triggered by pure hatred of Trump? Of Fox? Of me?”
In May 2020, Ingraham criticised requirements that people wear face masks in public as a way to halt the spread of the coronavirus.
And following the storming of the United States Capitol by Trump supporters in January 2021, Ingraham was among those who advanced the conspiracy theory that people associated with antifa were responsible for the attack.
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So, from this report, Laura Ingraham was right about at least 2 things (1) Welsh Steel and (2) masks not automatically wonderful. She’s correct about lots more too. Lawyer (Clerk at Supreme Court) rigorous about factual content. Fair-minded, warned Trump for not responding to female voters in US. (My Republican wife agrees with this.) Big on womens’ sport, just not the current version. And guess what? LA does not like politically motivated Prosecutions (or dropping Prosecutions)! Well nor should any of us. And she criticised Trump ie his being rude to VP Pence at the end. (I agree). Come on… Read more »
Is she related to the Laura Ingraham who was busted for shoplifting ?
Jonathan Edwards are you actually Welsh? I ask because l cannot believe any Welsh person would support this vile woman. She hates anything that she perceives as ‘Socialist, left wing’ , and seeing as Wales always votes for a Socialist Party it is on her radar. While Trump lured & dithered, supported by her & her Fox cronies, Mark Drake Ford led from the front, and now Wales leads the way in the UK. I too take Ingram’s snide remarks as a compliment. Cymru Am Byth!
Not a fan of this particular aUS broadcaster (or any of them, really) but I must say I’m far less of a fan of this sort of comment. Cymru am byth? Fe fydd Cymru fyth yn rhydd os gewn ni fwy o bobl sy’n diffinio Pwy sy’n gymraeg mewn ffordd mor gul a ddifeddwl. J Edward’s comments don’t make him any less Welsh, your retort that defines welshness on the basis of current political trends doesn’t make you any less Welsh. It will, however, convince many politically unengaged, indy curious people that Cymru rhydd is an exclusive project, available for… Read more »
Who is this woman? I’ve heard Fox News mentioned once or twice usually proceeded by swearing and/or laughter.
“Storming” of the Capitol. What, with flags and banners? Anyway, this is not our problem, unless one is a global social revolutionary, using Indy much as using the UK fig leaf is for a Tory
Clywch Clywch. Beyond the obvious entertainment value of the US news media/political circus/culture war, this has very little to do with us. The fact that Nation insist on reporting on whichever foreign journo or celeb that decides to mention Wales doesn’t quite fit their image as our new national news service. Little too red top for me; goes nicely with the new banner ads
I think I’ll stick to getting my facts from the National. They seem to be far more balanced from what I’ve seen, and more accepting/welcoming of people’s identities if they don’t match the social norm (i.e. people like me)
The opinion pieces are better here at Nation. The other digital offerings seem to have transplanted the local newspaper model and bunged it online – not the worst thing, but it is what it is. Maybe plurality is better, different outlets for different stories. I tend to read as many outlets as I can for the same story (if the coverage seems particularly partisan) and take the facts by aggregate. Welcome to the (insufferably complex) future