FNC's Brit Hume Rips Trump for 'Ridiculous' Tweet

Fox News senior political analyst Brit Hume slammed President Trump for a Thursday tweet boasting about the ratings of White House coronavirus task force briefings.

This is a ridiculous tweet. He could get his views across without bragging, endlessly repeating himself, and getting into petty squabbles with the junior varsity players in the WH press corps. And he could stop talking much sooner to give Pence, Fauci, Birx and Giroir more time. https://t.co/ui7sN3WgGx

— Brit Hume (@brithume) April 9, 2020

The Hill reports Hume was referring to Vice President Pence, coronavirus task force coordinators Anthony Fauci and Deborah Birx, and Assistant Secretary for Health Brett Giroir.

Trump earlier had tweeted his annoyance that The Wall Street Journal did not mention ratings for his briefings.

Hume, a former ABC White House correspondent, took exception to the president for continuing to get "into petty squabbles" with the press.

The White House coronavirus task force briefings are drawing an average of 8.5 million viewers as most Americans continue to be stuck at home.

The Wall Street Journal's editorial board ripped the daily task force briefings on Thursday, describing them as "Trump’s Wasted Briefings" and saying they "more about the many feuds of Donald J. Trump."

"Sometime in the last three weeks Mr. Trump seems to have concluded that the briefings could be a showcase for him. Perhaps they substitute in his mind for the campaign rallies he can no longer hold because of the risks," the board writes. "Perhaps he resented the media adulation that New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has been receiving for his daily show. Whatever the reason, the briefings are now all about the President."

"They last for 90 minutes or more, and Mr. Trump dominates the stage," it adds. "His first-rate health experts have become supporting actors, and sometimes barely that, ushered on stage to answer a technical question or two."