Trump has been strongly criticized for his handling of the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S. and Thomas added his voice to the chorus.
“Y’all fell for that MAGA, [emoji] joke’s on you now,” the three-time Pro Bowl selection tweeted.
Earlier, Thomas had retweeted a clip from Vox journalist Aaron Rupar, which shows the president dismiss criticism of his handling of coronavirus.
In the video, which Rupar captioned “63 million people voted for this”, Trump is asked what he made of the perceptions among some Americans that he wasn’t taking the pandemic seriously enough and that his statements contradict advice from health experts.
Trump’s response to the question is one of his most familiar lines by now.
“That’s CNN, fake news,” the president says.
On Wednesday night, Trump announced a 30-day travel ban on 26 European countries had been imposed to contain the spread of the virus.
“To keep new [coronavirus] cases from entering our shores, we will be suspending all travel from Europe to the United States for the next 30 days,” the president said. “The new rules will go into effect Friday at midnight.”
News of the ban, which affects members of the Schengen Area but does not apply to U.S. citizens returning home or to travelers from the United Kingdom, came on the same day the NBA announced it had suspended the season until further notice.
“The NBA is suspending game play following the conclusion of Wednesday’s schedule of games until further notice,” the NBA wrote on its website. “The NBA will use this hiatus to determine next steps for moving forward in regard to the coronavirus pandemic.''
The NBA made its decision public shortly after opting to postpone the game between the Utah Jazz and the Oklahoma City Thunder shortly before tip off, after a Jazz player had tested positive to coronavirus.
Rudy Gobert, an All-Star selection this year, has since been confirmed as the player to have tested positive.
College basketball has also been impacted by coronavirus and on Wednesday the NCAA announced March Madness would go ahead behind closed doors.
“This decision is in the best interest of public health, including that of coaches, administrators, fans and, most importantly, our student-athletes,” NCAA president Mark Emmert said in a statement. “Today, we will move forward and conduct championships consistent with the current information and will continue to monitor and make adjustments as needed.”
As of Thursday morning, more than 1,300 cases have been reported in the U.S., with 38 deaths and eight people recovered, according to Johns Hopkins University which has been tracking the outbreak using combined data sources.
Over 4,600 people have died since the outbreak of coronavirus began in Wuhan, a city located in China’s central Hubei province, late last year. There are over 126,000 cases globally, with 68,000 recovered.
