NYT's Tom Friedman slams Trump's 'flat-out stupid' gambit to make his supporters ignore coronavirus safety

On Wednesday's edition of CNN's "The Situation Room," New York Times writer Tom Friedman laid into President Donald Trump for his attempts to politicize coronavirus safety measures.

"The fact that the president won't do the easy stuff, the known stuff, is positively devilish," Friedman told anchor Wolf Blitzer. "I heard you quote his White House spokesman as saying, masks are recommended at the White House but they're not required. You really want to ask her, are brains recommended and not required? What are you people possibly thinking?"

"By the way, Wolf, how does this work for Trump? Because the average person actually isn't that stupid," said Friedman. "They're not going to go to the restaurant. They're not going to go to work. They're not going to go to a rally if they think they'll get sick or transfer the virus to someone who is vulnerable. Most people will not do that. So the economy won't even come back the way Trump hopes. It is just flat-out stupid."

"Why do you think, Tom, the president is so set on moving forward with this potentially very dangerous campaign rally in Tulsa?" asked Blitzer.

"It is literally beyond me, Wolf," said Friedman. "He thinks that this will somehow appeal to his base by defying the supposed liberal consensus that you should wear a mask and social distance and prevent super spreader events. There is nothing liberal about this. Mother Nature is not interested in liberal or conservative. She has no clue where the border is between Oklahoma or Texas."

Watch below: