Fox News host and Daily Caller co-founder Tucker Carlson mocked the Secretary of Defense Thursday for wearing a face shield and a mask, rather than opting to lose weight for protection against COVID-19.
Footage showed Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin exiting a plane in the Philippines wearing a face shield to cover his face and greeting people with fist-pumps rather than a handshake.
“Today, the Secretary of Defense appeared in public wearing this costume. This is Mr. Lloyd Austin, ladies and gentleman, the man in charge of our weapons systems,” Carlson said. “What’s he got on there? Is that a welder’s mask? Is it a dental visor? Has Lloyd Austin been cleaning teeth this morning?”
“Nope. Looks like Lloyd Austin is just terrified of COVID. Well, then why doesn’t he lose weight? Quite a bit of weight, actually. That’s a good question, that would be the rational response. Of course he hasn’t actually considered that,” Carlson said. (RELATED: Tucker Carlson Mocks Pentagon: ‘If The Woke Generals Treat Us Like They Treat The Taliban, We’ll Be Fine)
This Tucker Carlson dig at a fully-vaccinated, mask & face shield wearing Lloyd Austin is one for the ages. 🤣
“How long before he’s wearing surgical gloves in the shower and zip-tying garbage bags around his feet? The U.S. military is being run by a neurotic cat lady.” pic.twitter.com/xP7DGr5Xne
— Scott Morefield (@SKMorefield) July 30, 2021
Carlson said that Austin put a “windshield” over his face because he is “petrified” of COVID-19, despite being fully vaccinated. Studies have shown that the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines have prevented roughly 90% of COVID infections, including the Delta variant.
Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte announced June 21 that the public is required to wear face shields in both indoor and outdoor settings, CNN Philippines reported.
So I’ve seen a lot of people criticize Austin for wearing a face shield and mask. Duterte made it mandatory for people to wear the two in public places. https://t.co/cNsCozi9he
Doesn’t explain why half of the people in the video aren’t wearing face shields. https://t.co/6OV67dI8SK pic.twitter.com/LvxXFQiRPr— Elias Atienza (@AtienzaElias) July 29, 2021
Carlson concluded by calling Austin and other members of the U.S. government a “neurotic cat lady.”
“He [Austin] made sure that all of his dutiful little minions do the same,” the Fox News host said. “An entire army of dental hygienists. And yet, even after all of the comically elaborate precautions, Lloyd Austin still looks scared for his life. How long before he’s wearing surgical gloves in the shower and zip-trying garbage bags around his feet? The U.S. military is run by a neurotic cat lady, our entire government is at this point.”
“Many thought that we were ready to do away with the face mask,” Duterte said, according to the outlet. “But with the kind of aggressive infection that poses a very grave danger to, it’s a small inconvenience, actually … but that is only a small price to pay, than rather gamble with doing away with it and courting disaster.”