Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot hailed a “new day for science” in the wake of President-elect Joe Biden’s announcement of a new coronavirus task force, recording a mocking video to take a swipe at President Donald Trump, who has downplayed the virus and frequently disregarded his own health officials.
Lightfoot, a Democrat who has openly criticized Trump’s handling of the pandemic, posted a video on Twitter Tuesday, a day after Biden named advisers to his coronavirus task force. The mayor can be seen in the video sitting on a couch appearing to have a nightmare when she wakes up and the book “Stephen Hawking’s Universe – The Cosmos Explained” is open on her lap.
“Thank God, science is back baby,” she said with her hand on her forehand. The music becomes more upbeat and Lightfoot pats a globe of the Earth, saying “And the Earth is round, not flat.”
At the end of the video, Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady urges residents to wash their hands, wear face coverings, and practice social distancing. “I do love science,” Arwady says.
In a caption along with the video, Lightfoot wrote Biden’s coronavirus task force “ushers in a new day for science and evidence-based policy-making.”
“As a city, we look forward to working together to ensure the health of all Chicagoans,” she wrote.
Asked if the video was a critique of Trump and praise of Biden, Anel Ruiz, a spokesperson for Lightfoot, told CNN Thursday, “It’s praising science and data, and advocating for the importance of formulating policy based on science and data, as we’ve been working to do from day one.”
CNN reached out to the White House for comment Thursday.
Throughout the pandemic, Lightfoot has used videos and memes to encourage residents to follow stay-at-home orders. Her no-nonsense approach to the pandemic has spawned the internet sensation of “Lori Lightfoot is watching you.” Trump, meanwhile, has called Chicago “a disaster” and slammed Lightfoot over police violence in the city.
CNN’s Allison Gordon contributed to this report.
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