Hashtag ’Superspreader’ Pinned To Trump’s Reckless Supreme Court Nominee

Reprinted with permission from Alternet

As more White House staffers and Republican lawmakers test positive for COVID-19, there is speculation that several people may have contracted coronavirus while attending President Donald Trump's Rose Garden event last Saturday announcing the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett.

Now, Twitter users are highlighting Trump and Barrett's recklessness under the hashtag, "SuperSpreader," which appears to describe the nature of the event. In addition to Trump being blamed for his own battle with COVID-19, photos from the Rose Garden event are now being used to argue that Barrett's alleged irresponsibility proves she is not fit to serve on the Supreme Court.

With the latest developments, more Rose Garden photos are circulating and Twitter users are expressing concern about Barrett bringing her seven children to the even without masks.

As the children sat on the front row at the event, they were surrounded by others who also opted not to wear masks despite the ongoing pandemic. Amid concerns about Barrett possibly being exposed to the virus, she admitted that she was diagnosed with coronavirus over the summer later recovered. Her admission has only drawn more criticism. Having contracted the virus herself, many are puzzled by Barrett's presumed lack of regard for the virus as they've described her as an irresponsible parent.

Others have noted that the latest superspreader event could have possibly been avoided if Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) hadn't rushed to nominate Barrett almost immediately after the death of the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

"Ironically, if Trump & McConnell hadn't insisted on fast-tracking their SCOTUS hijacking, Trump, 3 GOP senators (Ron Johnson, Mike Lee, Thom Tillis), Kellyanne Conway, etc., wouldn't have all gotten COVID this week, endangering their lives & the nomination itself," one person tweeted.

The president, First Lady Melania Trump, and several others who attended the event have tested positive for coronavirus. As of Saturday morning, Trump appears to be the only attendee who has been hospitalized due to complications of coronavirus. He is currently being treated at Walter Reed Medical Center.