Maddow Said Trump's Hospital Ship Promises Were Nonsense, Now Ships Are Arriving Early
The USNS Comfort arrived in New York City on Monday ahead of schedule and ready to deliver much-needed relief to health care workers on the front lines of the COVID-19 outbreak.
The gorgeous, 894 foot-long Navy vessel pulled into New York Harbor as if it were in on the last leg of a victory lap. The hospital ship will provide 1,000 additional beds to the city’s overwhelmed medical infrastructure.
The USNS Comfort arrived in New York Harbor today three weeks ahead of schedule, where it will begin treating patients tomorrow to help relieve the city’s hospital capacity.pic.twitter.com/vXYUlfGG84
— GOP (@GOP) March 31, 2020
The ship’s arrival was a testament to American grit, spirit and determination. For some of us, the ship’s arrival also signaled a victory over MSNBC host Rachel Maddow’s partisan cynicism.
It is a shame to even bring politics into the equation, because there is so much pride to be taken in watching such a mammoth force for good arrive in a place that is being compared to a war zone.
But since Democrats and the liberal media are so intent on undermining President Donald Trump and using a national health crisis as a political opportunity, the arrival of the Comfort is a welcome sight.
On March 18, Trump announced he had ordered two Navy hospital ships to American’s two biggest cities “in the next week or so,” he said, to help alleviate the added burden of coronavirus cases on hospitals.
The USNS Mercy arrived in Los Angeles on Friday.
History in the making: #USNSMercy arrives at the Port of Los Angeles. pic.twitter.com/0Kx5uReSvB
— Port of Los Angeles (@PortofLA) March 27, 2020
The Comfort‘s arrival in New York on Monday was a mere 10 days after Maddow sneered at the notion one of the military’s hospital ships would make it to New York City quickly — if even at all.
A clip of Maddow’s dismissive March 20 comments about the ship’s deployment went viral on Twitter as images of the ship cruising by the Statue of Liberty were displayed Monday.
The USNS Comfort passes the Statue of Liberty as it enters New York Harbor during the coronavirus outbreak in New York City. More photos: https://t.co/6niWH99iq3 ? Mike Segar pic.twitter.com/AcDEmftk4F
— Reuters Pictures (@reuterspictures) March 30, 2020
“The Navy hospital ships the president made such a big deal of, the Comfort and the Mercy, there’s no sign that they’ll be anywhere on site helping out anywhere in the country for weeks yet,” Maddow said on her March 20 show.
The USNS Mercy has started treating patients in California. pic.twitter.com/PR8NhDOEPX
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) March 30, 2020
“[Trump] said one of those ships would be operational in New York Harbor by next week,” the MSNBC host added. “That’s nonsense. It will not be there next week.”
Of course, the USNS Comfort is now docked in New York and is ready to treat patients in need of intensive care as New York prepares for the apex of COVID-19 cases, which is expected in a couple of weeks.
The USNS Comfort seen sailing to New York Harbor from a NYS escort vessel.
The Comfort brings 1,000 much-needed hospital beds & 1,200 personnel to New York. I’ll be in NYC to receive a briefing upon its arrival. pic.twitter.com/VpHpjymsow
— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) March 30, 2020
Naval hospital ship USNS Comfort equipped with:
✅ 12 operating rooms
✅ 1,000 hospital beds
✅ Medical laboratory“It also bears our military’s greatest weapon of all, a crew of nearly 1,200 outstanding members of the United States Navy.” ?????? pic.twitter.com/SI6hQa69L3
— Trump War Room – Text TRUMP to 88022 (@TrumpWarRoom) March 28, 2020
Rather than admit she was wrong or congratulate the president and his administration on their success, Maddow claimed in a tweet Monday night that Trump hadn’t met his deadline.
“That clip was from March 20, after you said the ship would be in New York harbor by last week,” the MSNBC host said. “The ship was not in New York last week — which is what I said on my show.
“You were wrong about it.”
Hi again, Mr. President! That clip was from March 20, after you said the ship would be in New York harbor by last week. The ship was not in New York last week — which is what I said on my show.
You were wrong about it.
No hard feelings. Everyone’s glad it’s there now. But… https://t.co/QKrD2M3BeK
— Rachel Maddow MSNBC (@maddow) March 30, 2020
In fact, the president said March 18 that the hospital ships were “being prepared to go, and they can be launched over the next week or so, depending on need.”
Two days later, Trump said, “We’re bringing the big hospital ship up in two weeks, and we’re going to have it in New York Harbor or someplace in New York Harbor.”
That is the same day Maddow said that “there’s no sign that they’ll be anywhere on site helping out anywhere in the country for weeks yet.”
Ten days later, the Comfort was in New York Harbor.
How can someone be so wrong, so often, and still be brazen enough to show up for work?
It is disgraceful that the MSNBC host turned such an inspiring moment into one with political ramifications.
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