Gautam Anand
Unless you have been living under a rock, you must have heard about Netflix documentary ‘Tiger King’ and its impact on pop culture. Despite the ongoing coronavirus crisis, Tiger King and all its myriad characters have been talked about in friends and family circles across America. Even the media jumped on the bandwagon and covered the documentary incessantly for two weeks. And just when you thought the chatter around the tv series was dying down a bit, we have this.
During the daily press briefings of Trump’s Coronavirus Task Force today, a press reporter asked Trump, if “he has seen the show” and whether “he will consider pardoning Joe Exotic.” Trump in response to the question said that he “knows nothing about it” but he will “take a look.” Here’s the video of the full conversation:
President Trump is asked about pardoning #TigerKing star Joe Exotic
"I'll take a look." pic.twitter.com/2lCGBJqUHa
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) April 8, 2020
Expectedly, several Twitter users were not happy with the question, especially considering we are in the middle of a crisis that is costing thousands of American lives daily. Here is how some of them reacted:
WTAF: A reporter wastes our time by asking Donald Trump if he'll pardon Joe Exotic, saying he's the only one getting ratings as high as Trump's press conferences.
How many Americans will die today?
— Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) April 8, 2020
https://twitter.com/AllieBruns10/status/1248016132612616192
The media is so addicted to sensationalism that a journalist at the Coronavirus Press Conference literally asked Trump whether he will listen to Donald Trump Jr.’s suggestion to pardon Tiger King Joe Exotic for hiring a hit man. We have a broken government and a broken media.
— Eugene Gu, MD (@eugenegu) April 8, 2020
But not all of them reacted negatively. Some of them also saw the fun side of the question.
The reporter asking President Trump about Tiger King and a possible pardon for Joe Exotic is exactly the kind of quarantine content we need
— Katie Pavlich (@KatiePavlich) April 8, 2020
Omg whoever just asked Trump about pardoning Joe Exotic is an American hero
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) April 8, 2020
I think most of us will agree that the question was ill-timed. At this same time, I can also see why many might look at this just a welcome relief from all the serious stuff going around. Whichever side you of that argument you fall, we can all agree that Tiger King has been a cultural phenomenon. And this incident again proves as to why.
Read More: Where is Joe Exotic Now?
