Jimmy Kimmel joins chorus of liberals mocking Mike Pence: ‘What is his plan to stop the [coronavirus], abstinence?’

Late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel mocked Vice President Mike Pence Wednesday night after President Donald Trump announced that Pence would lead the U.S. government's response to the coronavirus outbreak.

"Why is Mike Pence in charge?" Kimmel asked. "What is his plan to stop the virus, abstinence?" Kimmel quipped in reference to Pence's adherence to moral values.

"I think Trump might be trying to kill him. I really do," Kimmel added.

The comedian also suggested that Pence is nothing but a flunky for President Trump.

"I hope the virus isn't spread by kissing ass, because if it is, they've got the wrong guy," he said mockingly.

Here's video of the comments provided by NewsBusters:

Kimmel is just the latest progressive in the public eye to pile on to the vice president after it was announced he would lead the effort to contain the virus in America.

In the day following the announcement fury ensued from Democratic lawmakers and left-leaning political pundits alike, who attacked Pence for being "anti-science."

In a tweet, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) said bluntly: "Mike Pence literally does not believe in science."

"It is utterly irresponsible to put him in charge of US coronavirus response as the world sits on the cusp of a pandemic. This decision could cost people their lives. Pence's past decisions already have," she added.

Also on Twitter, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) said: "Mike Pence is not an upgrade. Putting a guy in charge of a deadly major pandemic who doesn't believe in science and thinks smoking doesn't cause cancer is...well...NOT A GREAT IDEA."

CNN ran an op-ed on the decision, titled, "Mike Pence is exactly the wrong guy for this job."

A report from the Independent went as far as to note that Pence "is also a longtime climate change sceptic, and has often expressed doubt about the theory of evolution."

As fear grows over the potential mass spread of the coronavirus in the U.S., critics have expressed concerns over the way Trump has initially responded, accusing him of downplaying the dangers. But the latest attacks on Pence may strike hearers as less about safety and more about disagreement with the vice president's belief system.

After all, this is not the first time Pence has come under fire from the left for his faith and moral standards.

in 2017, progressives panned Pence for his practice of not going out to dinner with another woman without his wife, Karen, being present. Last year, critics pounced on him once again after news broke that his wife would gain employment at a Christian school as an art teacher.