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President Biden and his administration were ripped after taking part in a holiday TV special that aired this week and featured a choir of nurses, with many calling it “out of touch” as cases of COVID-19 soar ahead of Christmas and the New Year. 

Video of the Northwell Health Nurse Choir’s performance of “We Need a Little Christmas” spread across social media after the White House “Spirit of the Season” special aired Tuesday night on PBS.

Many critics took note of the performers’ big smiles, happy dancing, and inconsistent masking.

“Why are a group of health care workers singing indoors in a #pandemic? Why are some of them unmasked? People have tested neg then pos within hrs,” tweeted Dr. Tanya Michelle Prowell, an associate professor of oncology at Johns Hopkins Medicine. “This spectacle defies all common sense. #OmicronIsAirborne. Stop it & HELP #MedTwitter & #NurseTwitter. @POTUS  @FLOTUS @WhiteHouse”

“There is no one I hate more than dancing nurses. They deserve all the scorn and mockery you can throw at them,” right wing commentator Ian Miles Cheong wrote. 

Many pointed out the poor optics of having the group perform in light of the spreading Omicron variant. 

“I don’t quite have words for this one. Close to 2000 Americans are dying every day,” author Bruno Maçães tweeted. 

Critics slammed the event as “tone deaf.” PBS

“I am amused by the idea that wearing a mask is very important unless you’re belting out a solo,” Washington Examiner reporter Jerry Dunleavy posted. 

John Noonan, a military and defense affairs adviser to Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), wrote: “It’s good so many medical professionals were on hand to treat several life threatening cases of cringe.”

“Is there a pandemic or isn’t there? Like all the TikTok dances last year, I find it hard to believe you are being worked to the bone when you have time for this cringe,” Daily Wire editor Ian Haworth tweeted. 

The Northwell Health Nurse Choir previously appeared on “America’s Got Talent.” NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

“This is so much worse than when the celebrities sang ‘Imagine,’ just genuinely dark-sided stuff,” writer Zoé Samudzi tweeted, referring to a video from last year that featured Millie Bobby Brown, Gal Gadot, Jimmy Fallon, Will Ferrell, Amy Adams and more singing the John Lennon tune.

Writer and comic creator Douglas Ernst called out the White House for mixed messaging: “There is someone in the White House who got paid a lot of money to come up with this idea. One day there are dire warnings of a ‘winter of severe illness and death,’ and then the next you’re getting this Simpsons-esque musical number that is just plain weird.”

“Dear Lord Baby Jesus, please forgive us…”, chimed in Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) in reaction to the video.

Other social media users criticized the president and first lady Jill Biden, who was seen standing off to one side with her face uncovered in the video. 

“Joe & Jill have the worst taste in literally everything,” tweeted Jenna Ellis, an ex-senior legal adviser for Former President Donald Trump.

“I cannot but marvel at how out of touch this administration is,” journalist Walker Bragman wrote. 

Many slammed the event amid the surge in Omicron cases. PBS

“So why did they ever ban people from singing in church?” tweeted conservative commentator Kassy Dillon, referring to past guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that recommended people avoid singing indoors – including in houses of worship. 

Some pointed out that Northwell Health recently fired 1,400 unvaccinated health care workers in October to comply with New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s mandate.

“Did they invite all the ones who got fired for not complying with unscientific mandates? Spare me the fake show, Joe,” right-wing media personality Jedediah Bila posted. 

Some critics pointed out that Northwell recently fired 1,400 unvaccinated health care workers. PBS

The special, which was recorded Dec. 11-14 at the White House, aired hours after Biden announced several actions to combat rising case numbers, including opening new federal testing sites and mailing half a billion at-home COVID test kits for those who request them starting in January.

As thousands of Americans travel across the country for the holidays, many have been faced with hours-long lines in order to get tested for the virus. While some experts are praising the administration’s initiative, others believe it will not be enough. 

On Thursday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki defended the administration’s decision not to order the massive amount of tests earlier in the year – despite Biden admitting he wished he had – saying: “Before the Delta variant was on the rise, there was not a demand for testing in this country. There really wasn’t.”

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