Chuck Todd On COVID In America: ‘We’re The Dirty Country’

(Required) — Eugene Davis, 58, of Americus, Ga., digs a grave at Cedar Hill Cemetery to check the depth before a funeral for Judge Brooks, Jr., on Saturday, April 18, 2020, in Dawson, Ga.

Aidan Connelly is a production assistant on Boston Public Radio. A graduate of Emerson College with a B.A in journalism, his work has appeared on WBUR, KCRW, and The Marketplace Morning Report.

May 07, 2020

Updated August 07, 2023

“Meet the Press” moderator Chuck Todd joined Boston Public Radio Monday, where he voiced frustration over the president’s insistence on reopening the country without dramatically increasing efforts to track or control the spread of COVID-19.

Todd accused the president of wanting to "wash his hands” of the responsibility to protect American lives.

"He’s surrendering to the virus, [saying] basically ‘there’s nothing I can do, so… alright America, be a bunch of warriors, go risk your life and see if you can improve this economy fast enough to get me reelected.’”

He also said leaders of rural states are priming themselves for a surge by following the president’s lead, lifting stay-at-home restrictions and reopening businesses without doing substantial testing.

"A lot of these folks that think this isn’t their problem– suddenly it’s gonna be their problem too,” he said of rural Americans. "I have this fear that we’re gonna wake up on June one and we’re gonna have to do lockdowns again.”

Aidan Connelly is a production assistant on Boston Public Radio. A graduate of Emerson College with a B.A in journalism, his work has appeared on WBUR, KCRW, and The Marketplace Morning Report.