Jake Tapper Brings on Medical Expert Bill Gates to Talk COVID Lockdowns, Ted Cruz Throws Down the Gauntlet

I’ve talked before about how the term “state-run TV” has sometimes been used rather loosely even in conservative circles, but I’m not joking when I say that CNN is without a doubt going to be the very personification of it in a possible Biden-Harris administration. We’ve seen numerous examples of it since Election Day alone, but there were many, many more prior to that.

Among the more notable and out-front contributors to this effort has been CNN’s “The Lead” anchor Jake Tapper, who tried for all of five minutes during Trump’s presidency to present himself as a fair and balanced journalist. But for Tapper, who was once a spokesman for a former Democratic Congresswoman as well as a writer at the rabidly left-wing Salon website, old habits die hard.

And for the vast majority of the time over the last four years, Tapper has completely ripped off – and kept off – the mask and shown his true partisan colors.

That was perhaps never more apparent than just this past weekend when Tapper went on a wild, unhinged “told ya so” rant about President Trump, throwing all pretenses of objectivity out the window.

In addition to that, Tapper brought on billionaire and noted medical expert Bill Gates to talk about COVID lockdowns. Though Tapper didn’t expressly state that he felt they were necessary, anyone who has paid attention to his coverage and that of his colleagues at CNN over the last 8+ months knows where they stand, and it’s not for any “nuanced” approach to governors handling the pandemic. Remember, this is the same network that holds up Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo as a role model for how other governors should be managing the crisis:

.@BillGates on Covid: "Even through 2022” we should be prepared for life to not return to “normal”

Says “sadly" it’s "appropriate” for bars and restaurants to close over the next "four to six months" pic.twitter.com/cmDD8pv3XR

— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) December 13, 2020

The interview prompted Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), an opponent of state lockdowns as many Republicans are, to issue a challenge to both Tapper and Gates:

Leftists: a millionaire & a billionaire discuss how they think its “appropriate” to destroy & bankrupt small businesses across America.

Tell you what…halt ALL salaries at CNN & Microsoft, stop paying Dem politicians & then let’s see if they think TWO MORE YEARS shutdown is OK. https://t.co/OwKLXLYZxT

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) December 13, 2020

Cruz was not alone in his thinking on this, either:

So at what point are the rest of us going to tire of billionaires – whose lives are completely unaffected by lockdowns, school closures, travel restrictions, and all the rest – telling us good little proles that we just have to wait a few more months? https://t.co/He9c6iwhGe

— Alex Berenson (@AlexBerenson) December 13, 2020

This is all bullshit. Stop listening to Bill Gates. His ilk want to destroy every small business in the country. Why? Customers turn to big corporations instead and they reap all the benefits. Do not close your small business. Be strong and be brave. The people will support you. https://t.co/6MbVyjxKuG

— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) December 13, 2020

There was also this timely point:

Weirdest thing about the pandemic has been treating this man, who is not a health expert nor an elected official, as though he knows anything about it. https://t.co/akGsslPBM3

— Eddie Scarry (@eScarry) December 14, 2020

Sadly, Tapper has a penchant for bringing the type of non-political guests on his show who invariably agree with the position of Democratic governors like Cuomo and Gavin Newsom on the issue of keeping things locked down and businesses closed, so I guess we shouldn’t be too surprised in this instance.

In any event, Cruz is right on the money here (no pun intended). Most big media journalists like Tapper and his colleague Chris Cuomo, the high-profile public figures like Gates, and Democratic governors like Cuomo and Newsom have not suffered one dime of financial hardship as a result of advocating for lockdowns and longterm business closures. If they were in the same boat as small business owners, perhaps they’d rethink their positions.

But they’re not, which explains (and not in a good way) why so many of them obviously believe the rules only apply to the common man and woman, and not to those on the left in positions of power and influence who think they know what’s best for those of us sitting in the cheap seats.