Gretchen Whitmer staged a ‘creepy’ Covid propaganda call with Santa Claus in order to teach children not to have family gatherings over Christmas
The Michigan Governor used a Zoom call with Santa and groups of children complete with coronavirus questions by the youngsters, to encourage them not to visit grandparents and other family members for Christmas.
In a video of the call posted on Wednesday, Whitmer said:
“Another way to stay safe during the holiday is to stay home, but call your grandparents and your cousins and your family….It’s the safest way to tell the people you love how much you care about them.“
While some Whitmer fans praised her ‘Covid-19 education’ effort, others wondered if she was actually causing psychological damage to children by traumatizing them.
RT reports: The call began with Whitmer introducing Santa to the children and inviting them to ask him questions. Rather than asking about toys or reindeer, the children all stuck to the Covid-19 theme. One asked whether Santa had to wear a mask (of course he and the elves are following government guidelines), while another asked if coronavirus had spread to the North Pole (no, but Santa and the elves are testing regularly and taking every precaution).
One helpful young boy said he would leave out hand sanitizer for Santa to use when he’s done with the milk and cookies – a suggestion that the Democrat governor praised.
A girl used her short moment with Santa to ask how to keep people safe for Christmas. Santa replied, “What I would suggest to do is what the governor is telling all the people of the great state of Michigan to do. Social distance, wash your hands and make sure you wear your masks when you’re outside your home.”
Whitmer broke in to advise against family gatherings amid the Covid-19 pandemic. “This year has to look a little bit different so we can stay safe,” she said.
Some social media users were creeped out by the production. Filmmaker Caleb Hull called the video “so cringe,” while journalist Noam Blum saw the unintentional humor: “Gretchen Whitmer always sounds like a Saturday Night Live impression of Gretchen Whitmer.”
Conservative filmmaker Dinesh D’Souza called Whitmer’s Zoom call “one of the most absurd things I’ve ever seen.” Washington publicist Jillian Anderson quipped, “Where is her Grinch costume?”
Niamh Harris