CNBC fight on COVID-19 restrictions blows up on air ...

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Two CNBC hosts got into an extraordinary early morning fight over COVID-19 restrictions and masks on Friday during a discussion over how restaurants are being devastated by the pandemic.

Rick Santelli, a CNBC personality who won fame and attention in 2009 with a rant from the Chicago Mercantile Exchange suggesting that a tea party should be started during that recession, argued that it didn't make sense to shut down restaurants when parking lots at big box retailers were jam-packed with cars and people.

"You can't tell me that shutting down, which is the easiest answer, is the only answer," Santelli said, which drew an immediate rebuke from another CNBC personality, Andrew Ross Sorkin, who is also a financial columnist for The New York Times and has previously had on-air disputes with colleagues on CNBC over the appropriate precautions to take for COVID-19.

Link to tweet

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"Rick, just as a public health and public service announcement for the audience, the difference between a big box retailer," Sorkin said, before Santelli cut him off.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/cnbc-fight-on-covid-19-restrictions-blows-up-on-air/ar-BB1bDhMy?li=BBnb7Kz

Back in March Santelli suggested everyone should get the coronavirus.

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/cnbcs-rick-santelli-suggests-giving-everyone-coronavirus-to-spare-the-economy-2020-03-05

[NoMoreRepugs]

1. When Santelli was growing up I bet he said "I know u are but what am I?" a whole bunch.

What a gigantic teaparty asshole.

[underpants]

2. Santelli is a douche canoe

[mobeau69]

3. Santelli is a loud mouth jackass.

His tea party brain fart ran moderate pukes like Dick Lugar out of office.

[Renew Deal]

4. The younger guy on the left ended up in the same sort of argument on-air a few months ago.

[tavernier]

5. Rude AND stupid. I bet he's a hit at cocktail parties.

[Dem4Life1102]

6. Santelli should have been fired years ago

[orwell]

7. +100

He's a mediocre fixed income analyst at best. He is a complete RW shill who has no place being on CNBC.

There are much better floor analysts than Rick. His only claim to fame is that he has been on forever.

Art Cashin is a consummate professional. Santelli is a stooge.

He is way past the sell by date...now he is just killing people.

[chowder66]

8. The differences should have been pointed out. I didn't hear them.

But in a restaurant people need to take off their masks to eat. In churches many don't believe in masks but even if they do have masks on they are singing and shouting. Not everyone will have well fitted masks and singing causes more intense respiratory expulsions.

When people are in stores wearing masks, they are normally not singing, shouting and pulling down their masks to eat. Shoppers are not sitting idly for long periods or sticking around. They are moving through stores and exiting pretty quickly.