White House adviser Stephen Moore has repeatedly compared protesters who demonstrated against social-distancing measures to civil-rights icon Rosa Parks.

The protesters have turned out in scores across the US to demonstrate against closed public spaces and stay-at-home orders.

Moore told multiple outlets that he likens those frustrated with the temporary restrictions to Parks, who was arrested in Alabama in 1955 for refusing to give up her seat on a bus to a white passenger and went on to become an iconic figure in the civil rights movement.

The Trump administration has issued mixed messages about plans to reopen the country in cooperation with some state leaders, but many of his allies have railed against the temporary measures aimed at curbing the spread of the virus.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

White House adviser Stephen Moore repeatedly compared protesters who demonstrated against social-distancing measures aimed at containing the novel coronavirus pandemic to the civil-rights icon Rosa Parks.

Moore, a right-wing economic commentator and Trump ally, made the bizarre comment in multiple media appearances last week, including with CBS News and The New York Times.

"I call these people modern-day Rosa Parks," Moore told The Washington Post in one instance. "They are protesting against injustice and a loss of liberties."

Parks was arrested in Alabama in 1955 for refusing to give up her seat on a bus to a white passenger, thereby sparking an anti-segregation boycott of the Montgomery bus system.

Social-distancing protesters, meanwhile, have turned out in scores across the US in recent days to protest closed public spaces and stay-at-home orders.

The protests have popped up in states like Michigan, where some protesters carried signs comparing Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler alongside Confederate flags, Trump 2020 signs, and guns.

Moore is a high-ranking economic adviser who is at the forefront of the administration's coronavirus response, including the back-to-work council. His comments came after Trump has repeatedly issued mixed signals on reopening the country.

On Thursday, Trump announced a three-phase strategy to reopen parts of the country. The next day, he took to Twitter to urge leaders to "LIBERATE" Michigan, Minnesota, and Virginia from stay-at-home orders put in place by Democratic governors.

Experts and leaders have pointed to some of the worst-hit areas of the country as a sign that widespread testing and more information on possible treatments are needed before the country can reopen safely.

This is just the latest in Moore's questionable views on race relations after reports said he was dropped as a pick for the Federal Reserve Board amid concerning comments on race and gender.

"I have a long paper trail, there's no question about it, I say things that are kind of jokes and if people want to pick them apart, I probably won't get on the Federal Reserve Board," Moore said before his failed consideration while explaining a joke about Trump moving into the White House and kicking "a black family out of public housing" as former President Barack Obama and his family were set to leave.