#Cheesecake mystery: Doug Ford's 'stay tuned' message leaves Twitter guessing
Ontario Premier Doug Ford has won plaudits from even his harshest critics for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, but he sent out an ambiguous message Tuesday, leaving his constituency wondering what lies ahead.
Ford took to Twitter on Tuesday evening, posting a photo of himself baking while wearing a t-shirt with “we’re all in this together” inscribed on it, a common phrase that has gained popularity among brands during the pandemic.
The premier tweeted “Stay tuned” while adding the #cheesecake hashtag to the post. Ford would later tweet out Ontario’s daily COVID-19 cases update, while extending the province’s state of emergency through June 2 but did not provide any further, substantive policy updates.
Stay tuned... #cheesecake pic.twitter.com/LBfMm7C0S3
— Doug Ford (@fordnation) May 13, 2020
Ford would later announce that his colleague Natalia Kusendova and the Sikh Motorcycle Club of Ontario would be paying homage to frontline workers, but surely that’s not what Ford meant, right?
If you’re in Brampton and Mississauga, join my colleague @NatKusendova in keeping an eye out for Ride to Recognize First Responders. The Sikh Motorcycle Club of Ontario will be making the rounds to give a shout out to our heroic frontline workers. Thank you !
— Doug Ford (@fordnation) May 13, 2020
No one can seem to unpack Ford’s tasty message, but here are some of the best guesses from Twitter users:
it's been 3 hours are you gonna give me some damn cheesecake or not
— ℳatt (@matttomic) May 13, 2020
If I wear a hazmat suit can I come over for a slice?
— Andrew Lawton (@AndrewLawton) May 13, 2020
I could be mistaken, but I'm fairly certain I just spotted Doug Ford waiting in line outside The Cheesecake Factory.
— Barney Panofsky's Best Intentions (@mynamesnotgordy) May 13, 2020
Ford’s approval rating has ascended through the pandemic in large part due to his calm messaging and insistence that people remain at home when possible. However, Ford drew further scrutiny when it was revealed that he hosted two of his daughters that don’t currently live with him for Mother’s Day, running counterintuitive to the health guidelines put in place by the province.
If you can figure out what Ford meant in this cryptic message, we’d love to hear it. Until then, let them eat cheesecake.