Woman blames Trump and Fox News for 'infuriating' loss of father to COVID-19

Appearing on CNN on Friday morning, a woman who lost her father to COVID-19 before vaccinations became available called out Donald Trump for having a hand in her dad's death and Fox News for continuing to push misinformation about vaccines that will lead to more deaths.

Speaking with "New Day" hosts Brianna Keilar and John Berman, Kristin Urquiza told the hosts that she wished her dad had not listened to Donald Trump during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We're still so sorry for your loss," host Berman began. "I know it was more than a year ago but it doesn't get any easier. Your father died, he didn't have a vaccine available to him, so how does it feel for you when you see people now dying, refusing to get the vaccine that might very well have saved your father's life?"

"I mean, it's complicated," Urquiza replied. "It's hard for me to actually put the blame on any one individual with so much health disinformation flying around. People like my dad, who made decisions about how to behave based upon what he was seeing on Fox News and what the leaders who he trusted were saying, are in a position in which they are being led to a place where they're susceptible to contracting the virus and getting very sick."

After the CNN hosts shared clips of Fox News personalities trashing vaccination efforts, host Berman noted, "The vaccine very probably would have saved your father's life."

"That's absolutely right," she replied. "My dad, you know, he was otherwise healthy, he was incredibly active and I wish he were here in order to have the vaccine, have the opportunity to have the vaccine. and we're right now in a situation where we have to really focus on how do we save the most amount of lives possible? And with disinformation flying across cable news stations like Fox, we need to think about what is the data-informed plan."

"Last year you said your father's only pre-existing condition was believing Donald Trump and you were upset. Again, when you continue to hear stuff like this, not from Trump in this case on vaccines, but from places like Fox, I imagine it's got to be infuriating," CNN's Berman prompted.

"You better believe it is infuriating because I know that more people are going to fall victim to this. disinformation, misinformation campaigns that are coming and I would not wish a COVID illness and a COVID stay in the hospital which is lonely, it's terrifying, it's painful, " she remarked. "I would not wish that on even my worst enemy."

Watch below:

CNN 07 16 2021 07 04 47youtu.be