CNBC Anchors Andrew Ross Sorkin, Joe Kernen Clash Over Coronavirus Death Toll: ‘100,000 People Died, Joe!’
by Sergei KlebnikovTOPLINE
In a heated exchange on live television Wednesday morning, two CNBC anchors, Andrew Ross Sorkin and Joe Kernen, clashed over the stock market and severity of the coronavirus pandemic: Kernen accused Sorkin of “panicking” about the Covid-19 threat while Sorkin alleged Kernen was working to “help” President Donald Trump.
KEY FACTS
Tensions erupted on air during CNBC’s “Squawk Box” after Kernen criticized Sorkin for being excessively pessimistic during the outbreak, leading to a shouting match between the two anchors.
“You panicked about the market, panicked about COVID, panicked about the ventilators, panicked about the PPE, panicked about ever going out again, panicked if we’d ever get back to normal,” Kernan said.
That prompted an angry rebuttal from Sorkin, who accused Kernen of downplaying the death toll and going to bat for President Donald Trump.
“Joseph, you didn’t panic about anything!” Sorkin responded. “100,000 people died, Joe, and all you did was tried to help your friend the president.”
“That’s what you did! Every single morning on this show… you used and abused your position,” Sorkin alleged.
Kernen described the accusations as “totally unfair,” and despite Sorkin’s pleas to move on and “do the news,” he continued the fiery exchange, saying that he was just trying to help “investors keep their cool.”
Crucial quotes
“I wasn’t arguing to go sell your stocks, Joseph, I was arguing about people’s lives,” Sorkin said. “I’m begging you to do the news.”
Key background
Sorkin is a financial columnist for The New York Times and has been a co-anchor on CNBC’s Squawk Box since 2011. He is also founder and editor of DealBook, a financial news service published daily by the Times. Kernen, who first had a career as a stockbroker, is a 25-year veteran co-host of Squawk Box.