Major media outlets did not bother to cover the White House’s condemnation of protesters in Dearborn, Michigan, chanting “death to America.”
The chants broke out Friday at the International Al-Quds Day Rally, where activist Tarek Bazzi accused America of being one of the most “rottenest countries” in the world. A White House spokesperson condemned the “abhorrent and Antisemitic remarks” in a Monday statement to the Daily Caller.
“The White House condemns these abhorrent and Antisemitic remarks in the strongest terms. As President Biden has said, America is the greatest nation on Earth and a beacon to the world,” spokesperson Andrew Bates told the Daily Caller.
At International Al-Quds Day Rally in Dearborn, Michigan Protesters Chant “Death to America!”; Speakers at the Rally: America Is One of the “Rottenest Countries” on Earth; Israel Is ISIS, Nazis, a Cancer pic.twitter.com/B6hMlaKfi5
— MEMRI (@MEMRIReports) April 7, 2024
Politico, MSNBC, CBS News, The New York Times, NBC News, ABC News, The Washington Post and NPR were among the major outlets that did not cover the event. Primetime shows largely ignored the story with the exception of CNN’s Jake Tapper and Fox News, who did not mention the Daily Caller’s reporting on the White House’s condemnation.
The remainder of CNN’s primetime dedicated coverage to the solar eclipse and former President Donald Trump’s latest statement on abortion.
Fox News, The New York Post and The National Review did not mention the White House’s condemnation in their coverage of the protest.
President Joe Biden has not given a personal statement on the matter. Both the president and Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer condemned a Wall Street Journal (WSJ) op-ed from February titled “Welcome to Dearborn, America’s Jihad Capital,” which accused the pre-dominantly Muslim residents of siding with “Hamas against Israel and Iran against the U.S,” the Michigan Advance reported. (RELATED: MSNBC, CNN Censor Trump’s Victory Speech After Historic Win In Iowa)
“Americans know that blaming a group of people based on the words of a small few is wrong,” Biden tweeted in February. “That’s exactly what can lead to Islamophobia and anti-Arab hate, and it shouldn’t happen to the residents of Dearborn – or any American town. We must continue to condemn hate in all forms.”
“Dearborn is a vibrant community full of Michiganders who contribute day in and day out to our state. Islamophobia and all forms of hate have no place in Michigan, or anywhere. Period,” Whitmer also tweeted.
Nothing from Biden yet.
A White House spokesman condemned the chants yesterday, but there’s been almost no media coverage of the WH statement or the rally itselfhttps://t.co/kSc4DpuWn8
— Vince Coglianese (@VinceCoglianese) April 9, 2024
President Joe Biden has faced deep scrutiny for previously expressing his “unwavering support” for Israel when the war began after October 7. Pro-Palestinian members of the Democratic Party have threatened to withhold their vote for Biden in the 2024 general election. A group of voters in Michigan launched a campaign urging Democratic primary voters to vote “uncommitted” to protest Biden’s support for Israel.
The president won 81.1% of the vote with only 13.3% voting uncommitted.