Alternative Fact
“That can’t be good. There are a lot of people — if you look at Dr. Fauci’s original statement — you look at a lot of people — CDC — you look at a lot of people’s original statement, they said very strongly, George [Stephanopoulos]. There are people that don’t think masks are good.”
President Trump, ABC News town hall in Pennsylvania, 9/15/20
Fact
“I might even go so far as to say that this face mask is more guaranteed to protect me against Covid than when I take a Covid vaccine, because the immunogenicity may be 70%. And if I don’t get an immune response, the vaccine is not going to protect me. This face mask will.”
Dr. Robert Redfield, the director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Congressional Testimoney, 9/16/20
Alternative Fact
“I didn’t downplay it. I actually, in many ways, I up-played it, in terms of action,. My action was very strong.”
President Trump, ABC News town hall in Pennsylvania, 9/15/20
Fact
“I wanted to, I wanted to always play it down. I still like playing it down, because I don’t want to create a panic,”
Audio recording of President Trump during Bob Woodward interview, released 9/9/2020
Alternative Fact
“… we were talking about COVID. They’ve [Taiwan] done well. We’ve done well also. We get no credit for it. You know, we do so much testing, so we end up with, when you do testing, you have cases. You know, we tested more than, I guess, about 65 million tests.”
President Trump, Interview on Hugh Hewiitt’s radio show, 8/11/20
Fact
The seven-day average of daily coronavirus deaths was just over 1,000 on Tuesday (8/11/2020), the 16th consecutive day the US averaged over 1,000 deaths per day.
Measure the deaths, stupid, not the testing.
Alternative Fact
“…and we’re getting them [jobs]even in a pandemic — which is disappearing; it’s going to disappear.”
President Trump’s Coronavirus Pandemic Briefing, 8/7/20
Fact
From August 4th through August 8th, over 1,000 deaths per day from COVID-19 are once again occurring in the US.
Alternative Fact
“My view is the schools should open. This thing’s going away. It will go away like things go away. And my view is that schools should be open. If you look at children, children are almost — and I would almost say, definitely — but almost immune from this disease. So few, they’ve got stronger, hard to believe, I don’t know how you feel about it, but they have much stronger immune systems than we do somehow for this… They don’t have a problem. They just don’t have a problem… They are virtually immune from this problem.”
President Trump’s Facebook video post from his 8/5/20 interview on Fox & Friends
Fact
“This video includes false claims that a group of people is immune from COVID-19, which is a violation of our policies around harmful COVID misinformation”
Facebook’s 8/5/20 statement after removing the the video posted by President Trump’s campaign, 8/5/20
Alternative Fact
“I think they’re very respected doctors. There was a woman who was spectacular.”
I thought she was very impressive, in the sense that, from where she came — I don’t know what country she comes from — but she said that she’s had tremendous success with hundreds of different patients. I thought her voice was an important voice, but I know nothing about her.”
President Trump defending his retweet (deleted by Twitter and Facebook as fake news) on 7/27/20 of a doctor claiming masks are not needed to fight COVID, 7/28/20
Fact
The doctor, Stella Immanuel, also believes that many gynecological issues are the result of having sex with witches and demons (“succubi” and “incubi”) in dreams, a myth that dates back at least to the “Epic of Gilgamesh,” a Sumerian poem written more than 4,000 years ago. She falsely claims that issues such as endometriosis, infertility, miscarriages and STIs are “evil deposits from the spirit husband.”
Alternative Fact
“We do more testing than any country in the World, by far, over 55 million tests. Fake News CNN says we should do more testing. But even if we did 100 times more, they would then say it is still not enough. They are totally discredited, just want Sleepy Joe to win in November!”
President Trump Tweet, 7/26/2020
Fact
“Slow the testing down, please.” –
@realDonaldTrump”
Alternative Fact
“You will never hear this on the Fake News concerning the China Virus, but by comparison to most other countries, who are suffering greatly, we are doing very well – and we have done things that few other countries could have done!”
President Trump Tweet, 7/21/2020
Fact
“In order for governments to identify new cases and effectively respond to the pandemic through tracing and treatment, testing programs should be scaled to the size of their epidemic, not the size of the population. In this visualization, you’ll see that several countries effectively controlled the spread of the virus through testing programs that had a far lower number of tests per capita than the U.S. Meanwhile, despite having the highest rate of tests per capita, the U.S. faces the largest outbreak in the world and new cases continue to trend upwards in many states.”
Alternative Fact
“A new case is just a positive test. It doesn’t mean somebody’s sick. The number of cases is not necessarily something that’s going to tell you what the burden of the disease is.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, 6/20/20
“The trends are absolutely favorable”
Agency for Health Care Administration Secretary Mary Mayhew, 6/19/20
“None of these numbers are alarming”
Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez, 6/20/20
Fact
With Florida COVID-19 cases soaring, talk of another shutdown grows louder.
Alternative Fact
“So any insinuation otherwise is just typical, partisan narrative trying to be spun and part of the reason is that you’ve got a lot of people in your profession who waxed poetically for weeks and weeks about how Florida was going to be just like New York,” DeSantis scolded the reporters. “‘Wait two weeks, Florida is going to be next. Just like Italy, wait two weeks.’ Well hell, we’re eight weeks away from that and it hasn’t happened!”
“And so we’ve succeeded and I think that people just don’t want to recognize it because it challenges their narrative, it challenges their assumption, so they’ve got to try and find a boogeyman – maybe it’s that black helicopter circling the Department of Health. If you believe that, then I have a bridge in Brooklyn I’d like to sell ya,” DeSantis said.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis attacking media in press conference for criticizing Florida’s lack of social distancing mandates to address the COVID-19 pandemic, 5/20/2020
Fact
Florida COVID-19 Cases Soar to New 1-Day Record.
July 4, 2020
Alternative Fact
“The number of ChinaVirus cases goes up, because of GREAT TESTING, while the number of deaths (mortality rate), goes way down. The Fake News doesn’t like telling you that!”
President Trump Tweet, June 25, 2020
Fact
Seven states on 6/23/20 reported the highest number of hospitalizations since the pandemic began. These states are: California, Texas, Arizona, Arkansas, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.
Washington Post, June 24, 2020
Alternative Fact
“By clicking register below, you are acknowledging that an inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 exists in any public place where people are present. By attending the Rally, you and any guests voluntarily assume all risks related to exposure to COVID-19 and agree not to hold Donald J. Trump for President, Inc.; BOK Center; ASM Global; or any of their affiliates, directors, officers, employees, agents, contractors, or volunteers liable for any illness or injury.”
The liability waiver on the Trump campaign’s sign-up page for free tickets to the June 19, 2020 Trump rally at the BOK Center in Tulsa.
Fact
“I have concerns about large groups of people gathering indoors for prolonged lengths of time. It is imperative that anyone who chooses to host or attend a gathering take the steps to stay safe. If you are sick or think you have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, stay home”
Bruce Dart, Tulsa Health Department Director, June 12, 2020
Alternative Fact
“We do more testing than any country in the World, by far, over 55 million tests. Fake News CNN says we should do more testing. But even if we did 100 times more, they would then say it is still not enough. They are totally discredited, just want Sleepy Joe to win in November!”
President Trump Tweet, 7/26/2020
Fact
“Slow the testing down, please.” –
@realDonaldTrump”
Alternative Fact
“You will never hear this on the Fake News concerning the China Virus, but by comparison to most other countries, who are suffering greatly, we are doing very well – and we have done things that few other countries could have done!”
President Trump Tweet, 7/21/2020
Fact
“In order for governments to identify new cases and effectively respond to the pandemic through tracing and treatment, testing programs should be scaled to the size of their epidemic, not the size of the population. In this visualization, you’ll see that several countries effectively controlled the spread of the virus through testing programs that had a far lower number of tests per capita than the U.S. Meanwhile, despite having the highest rate of tests per capita, the U.S. faces the largest outbreak in the world and new cases continue to trend upwards in many states.”
Alternative Fact
“A new case is just a positive test. It doesn’t mean somebody’s sick. The number of cases is not necessarily something that’s going to tell you what the burden of the disease is.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, 6/20/20
“The trends are absolutely favorable”
Agency for Health Care Administration Secretary Mary Mayhew, 6/19/20
“None of these numbers are alarming”
Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez, 6/20/20
Fact
With Florida COVID-19 cases soaring, talk of another shutdown grows louder.
Alternative Fact
“So any insinuation otherwise is just typical, partisan narrative trying to be spun and part of the reason is that you’ve got a lot of people in your profession who waxed poetically for weeks and weeks about how Florida was going to be just like New York,” DeSantis scolded the reporters. “‘Wait two weeks, Florida is going to be next. Just like Italy, wait two weeks.’ Well hell, we’re eight weeks away from that and it hasn’t happened!”
“And so we’ve succeeded and I think that people just don’t want to recognize it because it challenges their narrative, it challenges their assumption, so they’ve got to try and find a boogeyman – maybe it’s that black helicopter circling the Department of Health. If you believe that, then I have a bridge in Brooklyn I’d like to sell ya,” DeSantis said.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis attacking media in press conference for criticizing Florida’s lack of social distancing mandates to address the COVID-19 pandemic, 5/20/2020
Fact
Florida COVID-19 Cases Soar to New 1-Day Record.
July 4, 2020
Alternative Fact
“The number of ChinaVirus cases goes up, because of GREAT TESTING, while the number of deaths (mortality rate), goes way down. The Fake News doesn’t like telling you that!”
President Trump Tweet, June 25, 2020
Fact
Seven states on 6/23/20 reported the highest number of hospitalizations since the pandemic began. These states are: California, Texas, Arizona, Arkansas, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.
Washington Post, June 24, 2020
Alternative Fact
“We flattened the curve.”
Vice President Pence, Coronavirus Briefing, 6/26/20
Fact
Seven states on 6/23/20 reported the highest number of hospitalizations since the pandemic began. These states are: California, Texas, Arizona, Arkansas, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.
Washington Post, June 24, 2020
Alternative Fact
“The number of ChinaVirus cases goes up, because of GREAT TESTING, while the number of deaths (mortality rate), goes way down. The Fake News doesn’t like telling you that!”
President Trump Tweet, June 25, 2020
Fact
Seven states on 6/23/20 reported the highest number of hospitalizations since the pandemic began. These states are: California, Texas, Arizona, Arkansas, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.
Washington Post, June 24, 2020
Alternative Fact
“I have concerns about large groups of people gathering indoors for prolonged lengths of time. It is imperative that anyone who chooses to host or attend a gathering take the steps to stay safe. If you are sick or think you have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, stay home”
Bruce Dart, Tulsa Health Department Director, June 12, 2020
Fact
“By clicking register below, you are acknowledging that an inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 exists in any public place where people are present. By attending the Rally, you and any guests voluntarily assume all risks related to exposure to COVID-19 and agree not to hold Donald J. Trump for President, Inc.; BOK Center; ASM Global; or any of their affiliates, directors, officers, employees, agents, contractors, or volunteers liable for any illness or injury.”
The liability waiver on the Trump campaign’s sign-up page for free tickets to the June 19, 2020 Trump rally at the BOK Center in Tulsa.
Alternative Fact
“I happen to be taking it [hydroxychloroquine]. A lot of good things have come out. You’d be surprised at how many people are taking it, especially the front-line workers. Before you catch it. The front-line workers, many, many are taking it.”
“I’m taking it, hydroxychloroquine. Right now, yeah. Couple of weeks ago, I started taking it. Cause I think it’s good, I’ve heard a lot of good stories.”
President Trump, 5/18/20, discussing how he has been taking hydroxychloroquine, which will further exacerbate the shortages of the drug that he caused two months ago by touting its benefits with no scientific evidence.
Fact
Leading pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) say the initial flood of demand for the antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine, sparked by suggestions from the White House that it was an effective treatment for COVID-19, finally is showing some signs of easing. This has lessened pressures on supplies of the drug for FDA-approved indications, such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.
Prime Therapeutics’ ongoing monitoring of utilization trends for hydroxychloroquine showed a rapid spike between March 17 and 25, which caused many community pharmacies to scramble to maintain adequate supplies for the FDA-approved uses, as noted above.
Specialty Pharmacy Continuum article from 5/13/20 indicating that the run on the drug caused by Trump’s last baseless claim was finally easing. What a leader! If he is taking the drug he should have kept his mouth shut rather than causing another run on the drug and subsequent shortages for people who really need it for FDA-approved uses.
Alternative Fact
“We succeeded and I think people just don’t want to recognize it because it challenges their narrative, it challenges their assumption, so they got to try to find a boogeyman”
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R), discussing how well Florida handled the COVID-19 pandemic, May 20, 2020
Fact
Florida’s Department of Health on June 16, 2020 confirmed 2,783 additional cases of COVID-19, setting another daily total record high since the start of the pandemic, while the Miami Herald reported that new cases in Florida have been trending upward since mid-May.
Facts, June 16, 2020
Alternative Fact
“We want to be early, ready for the next one, because clearly the Obama administration did not leave to this administration any kind of game plan for something like this.”
Senator Mitch McConnell, 5/11/20, during an interview with Lara Trump, the president’s daughter-in-law and campaign adviser.
Facts
POLITICO reported in March 2020 the existence of a document, written by Obama officials that laid out how the incoming Trump administration should respond if faced with a pandemic. The 69-page document contained hundreds of recommendations for dealing with many of the problems plaguing the nation’s coronavirus response — from shortages of personal protective equipment to the need for unified public guidance on the crisis.
Politico, 3/25/20 article. See the Obama Pandemic Playbook that the Trump Administration ignored, here.
Alternative Fact
“We’re opening our country. People want it open. The schools are going to be open,”
President Trump, 5/13/20
Facts
Google has extended its work-from-home policy for the remainder of 2020.
Facebook to let employees work remotely through the end of 2020
Most classes across the California State University system will continue to be held online through the fall because of the spread of the coronavirus, Chancellor Tim White said Tuesday.
News from 5/12/20
Alternative Fact
“I can tell you that there is a significant amount of evidence that this [COVID-19] came from that laboratory in Wuhan,”
Mike Pompeo, Face The Nation interview, 5/3/20, making a claim without providing any supporting evidence.
Fact
“We think it’s highly unlikely it was an accident,” a Western diplomatic official with knowledge of the intelligence said. “It is highly likely it was naturally occurring and that the human infection was from natural human and animal interaction.” The countries in the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing coalition are coalescing around this assessment, the official said, and a second official, from a Five Eyes country, concurred with it. The Five Eyes alliance is made up of the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand — and the countries share a broad range of intelligence in one of the world’s tightest multilateral arrangements.
Alternative Fact
“Different numbers. All different numbers. Very large numbers. And some small numbers too, by the way. Look, right now, I guess we’re at 26 deaths, and if you look at the flu — the flu, for this year — we’re at 8 mil- — we’re looking at 8,000 deaths. And, you know, hundreds of thousands of cases, but we have 8,000 deaths.”
President Trump White House comments, minimizing COVID-19 and comparing it to the flu. 3/9/20
Fact
As of 5/3/20, more than 1.1 million people in the US were infected with the virus, and more than 67,000 have died.
Johns Hopkins University, 5/3/20
Alternative Fact
“… And our death totals — our numbers — per million people are really very, very strong. We’re very proud of the job we’ve done. “
President Trump White House Address, 4/30/20
Fact
The US death numbers are strong – over 67,000 US citizens have died as of 5/2/20.
April 30 and May 1 marked the deadliest 48 hours in the United States’ fight against COVID-19, according to the World Health Organization. A total of 4,978 people died, according to the WHO’s situation reports, which detail the number of new and total COVID-19 cases and deaths worldwide.
Alternative Fact
“The only reason the U.S. has reported one million cases of CoronaVirus is that our testing is sooo much better than any other country in the World. Other countries are way behind us in Testing, and therefore show far fewer cases!”
President Trump Tweet, 4/28/20
Fact
As of 4/29/20, the US test rate /1 million population ranked 13th among countries with 15,000 or more reported cases.
Source: Worldometers.info/coronavirus
Alternative Fact
“Texas to open businesses in phases beginning Friday. Great job being done by
@GregAbbott_TX”
President Trump Tweet, 4/28/20
Fact
“We will not be opening our Texas theaters this weekend. Opening safely is a very complex project that involves countless new procedures and equipment, all of which require extensive training. This is something we cannot and will not do casually or quickly.”
Alamo Drafthouse Theatre Co., 4/28/20
Alternative Fact
Pence says coronavirus could be ‘largely’ behind us by Memorial Day weekend
Fox News Headline, 4/23/20
Fact
“We will have coronavirus in the fall. I am convinced of that.”
Dr. Fauci, Coronavirus daily briefing, 4/23/20
Alternative Fact
“…Right. And then I see the disinfectant, where it knocks it out in a minute. One minute. And is there a way we can do something like that, by injection inside or almost a cleaning. Because you see it gets in the lungs and it does a tremendous number on the lungs. So it would be interesting to check that. So, that, you’re going to have to use medical doctors with. But it sounds — it sounds interesting to me….”
President Trump, Coronavirus briefing, 4/23/20, suggesting that injecting a disinfectant into the lungs might kill the Coronavirus.
Fact
“As a global leader in health and hygiene products, we must be clear that under no circumstance should our disinfectant products be administered into the human body (through injection, ingestion or any other route)”
Lysol Statement, 4/24/20
Please stop. You’re scaring all of us now.
Human with a brain, 4/24/20
Alternative Fact
“The CDC director, I spoke with him just before coming out here. He was very clear in saying look, we might have flu reemerge in the fall. All Americans need to go out and get their flu shots, that was the thrust of his comments, but you know, leave it to the media to really take those out of context.”
White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany, meeting with reporters on 4/22/20, explaining what the CDC Director said to the Washington Post. Except that the CDC Director said something different [See Fact]
Fact
“There’s a possibility that the assault of the virus on our nation next winter will actually be even more difficult than the one we just went through and when I’ve said this to others, they kind of put their head back, they don’t understand what I mean. We’re going to have the flu epidemic and the coronavirus epidemic at the same time.”
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director, Robert Redfield, in a 4/21/20 interview with the Washington Post.
Alternative Fact
“They [governors] don’t want to use all of the capacity that we’ve created. We have tremendous capacity. …They know that. The governors know that. The Democrat governors know that; they’re the ones that are complaining.”
President Trump, Coronavirus briefing, 4/18/20
Fact
“We have to have something in place that is efficient and that we can rely on, and we’re not there yet”
Dr. Anthony Fauci on COVID-19 testing capabilities, 4/14/20
Alternative Fact
“Biden/Obama were a disaster in handling the H1N1 Swine Flu. Polling at the time showed disastrous approval numbers. 17,000 people died unnecessarily and through incompetence! Also, don’t forget their 5 Billion Dollar Obamacare website that should have cost close to nothing! “
President Trump Tweet, 4/17/20
Fact
As of 4/17/20, the JHU Coronavirus Resource Center reports 31,456 US deaths with the numbers rising by the hour. If Trump believes Obama/Biden’s handling of the H1N1 situation was “incompetent”, how does Trump rate his management skills during the COVID-19 crisis?
Alternative Fact
“This is Covid-19, not Covid-1, folks. You would think that people charged with the World Health Organization facts and figures would be on top of that. This is just a pause right now. “
President Trump’s Senior Advisor, Kellyannne Conway, 4/15/20 appearance on Fox and Friends, implying that WHO had seen 18 previous versions of the virus.
Fact
COVID-19 is short for Coronavirus Disease 2019. Ignorance of such basic facts by senior advisors in the Trump Administration is very disturbing. Furthermore, making these statements on Fox News, which is the only source of information for most of its viewing audience, perpetuates the Fake News narrative that the President accuses others of doing even though more documented “Fake News” is attributed to the Administration than other sources.
Alternative Fact
“Let me just tell you — very simple. I’m going to put it very simply: The President of the United States has the authority to do what the President has the authority to do, which is very powerful. The President of the United States calls the shots”
President Trump Coronavirus Briefing, 4/13/20, elaborating on his upcoming guidelines for the states to reopen
Fact
“…Again, we have one country, but we have lots of different pieces. It’s a puzzle. We have beautiful pieces, beautiful states with capable governors. They know when it’s time to open…”
President Trump Coronavirus Briefing, 4/14/20
Alternative Fact
“Cuomo’s been calling daily, even hourly, begging for everything, most of which should have been the state’s responsibility, such as new hospitals, beds, ventilators, etc. I got it all done for him, and everyone else, and now he seems to want Independence! That won’t happen!”
President Trump Tweet, 4/14/20
Fact
Federal payments to New York medical facilities that have borne the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic will amount to less than $12,000 per patient as the first tranche of $30 billion in aid is distributed, a Kaiser Health News analysis revealed.
But states where the illness remains rare will be getting much more: over $300,000 per reported COVID-19 case in Montana, Minnesota, and Nebraska, and a whopping $470,563 per patient in West Virginia.
Alternative Fact
“It’s the fake news stuff. What exactly did they say? Did they say that it would be a global pandemic that would shut down the global economy?”
Peter Navarro, 60 Minutes Interview, 4/12/20, when asked about reports that US intelligence warned the Administration in January about the impending pandemic
Fact
See the Axios story detailing Peter Navarro’s January 2020 memo to the President warning of coronavirus pandemic that “could infect up to 100 million Americans with a loss of life of as many as 1-2 million soils.”
Axios, 4/7/20
Alternative Fact
“For the purpose of creating conflict and confusion, some in the Fake News Media are saying that it is the Governors decision to open up the states, not that of the President of the United States & the Federal Government. Let it be fully understood that this is incorrect..”It is the decision of the President, and for many good reasons. With that being said, the Administration and I are working closely with the Governors, and this will continue. A decision by me, in conjunction with the Governors and input from others, will be made shortly!
President Trump, 4/13/2020 Tweet
Fact
“@JBPritzker, Governor of Illinois, and a very small group of certain other Governors, together with Fake News @CNN & Concast (MSDNC), shouldn’t be blaming the Federal Government for their own shortcomings. We are there to back you up should you fail, and always will be!”
President Trump Tweet, 3/22/20
Another classic Trump move: Telling states they are on their own when the tough “shelter in place” decisions are needed, and then declaring that he will be the one who mandates the states end their shelter in place orders. It doesn’t work that way. It’s a state’s rights issue, something that Republicans understand well, right?
Alternative Fact
“Everything we did was right”
President Trump, Coronavirus Briefing, 4/13/20
Fact
“You could logically say that if you had a process that was ongoing and you started mitigation earlier, you could have saved lives,”
Dr. Anthony Fauci, on CNN’s State of the Union, 4/12/20
Alternative Fact
“Sorry Fake News, it’s all on tape. I banned China long before people spoke up. Thank you”
President Trump, 4/12/2020 Tweet
Fact
Since President Trump imposed restrictions on travelers from China on February 2, 2020, nearly 40,000 people have arrived in the United States on direct flights from China. The bulk of the passengers, who were of multiple nationalities, arrived in January, at airports in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Chicago, Seattle, Newark and Detroit. Thousands of them flew directly from Wuhan, the center of the coronavirus outbreak.
As of April 7, 2020, the states listed below have not ordered statewide shelter in place orders, placing their citizens at great risk and all of the US at risk by potentially prolonging the pandemic for months. None of these governors is basing their decision on science and history will judge them harshly. Besides their inability to use data to make decisions, what else do these governors have in common?
See how your state is doing with social distancing.
| State | Statewide Shelter in Place Order? | Governor | Party |
| Arkansas | No | Asa Hutchinson | Republican |
| Iowa | No | Kim Reynolds | Republican |
| Nebraska | No | Pete Ricketts | Republican |
| North Dakota | No | Doug Burgman | Republican |
| Oklahoma | No* | Kevin Stitt | Republican |
| South Dakota | No | Kristi Noem | Republican |
| Utah | No* | Gary Herbert | Republican |
| Wyoming | No* | Mark Gordon | Republican |
(* One or more local jurisdictions in the state issued shelter in place orders)
Alternative Fact
The Wall Street Journal always “forgets” to mention that the ratings for the White House Press Briefings are “through the roof” (Monday Night Football, Bachelor Finale, according to @nytimes) & is only way for me to escape the Fake News & get my views across. WSJ is Fake News!
President Trump, 4/8/2020 Tweet
Fact
“Mr. Trump opens each briefing by running through a blizzard of facts and numbers showing what the government is doing – this many tests, that many masks, so many ventilators going from here to there, and what a great job he’s doing. Then Mr. Trump opens the door for questions, and the session deteriorates into a dispiriting brawl between the President and his antagonists in the White Hose Press corps.”
WSJ Editorial Board, 4/8/20
The WSJ editorial staff perfectly characterized Trump’s “no-added value” briefings
Alternative Fact
“Every decision that we’re making is made to save lives. It’s really our sole consideration.”
Ronna McDaniel, GOP Chairwoman, 4/4/2020 Tweet
Fact
“We’ve got to get this country open again,”
@realDonaldTrump said in response to more questions about need for more aggressive anti-COVID measures.
Laura Ingraham, Fox News 4/4/2020 Tweet
Alternative Fact
“I think a lot of people are going to have enough ventilators and masks…..”
President Trump daily Coronavirus briefing, 4/3/20 @09:37 minutes into briefing
Fact
“At the current burn rate, we have about six days of ventilators in our stockpile”
NY Governor Cuomo, 4/2/20
Alternative Fact
“Finding out that this virus is now transmitting before people see signs, so what we’ve been telling people from directives from the CDC for weeks now that if you start feeling bad, stay home… those individuals could’ve been infecting people before they ever felt bad. But we didn’t know that until the last 24 hours. And as Dr. Toomey told me, this is a game changer for us.”
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp attempting to explain why Georgia was one of the last states to issue a shelter in place order. (4/2/2020)
Fact
Asymptomatic transmission of COVID-19 was documented as early as January 2020 and was widely covered by most media outlets (except Fox News). Here is a link to a New England Journal of Medicine article about the potential transmission of COVID-19 from an asymptomatic carrier.
Alternative Fact
“President Trump is a ratings hit. Since reviving the daily White House briefing Mr. Trump and his coronavirus updates have attracted an average audience of 8.5 million on cable news, roughly the viewership of the season finale of ‘The Bachelor.’ Numbers are continuing to rise…”
President Trump Tweet, 3/29/20
Fact
As of 3/31/20, 189,000 Americans have tested positive for COVID-19 with over 3,400 US deaths. President Trump is correct: “Numbers are continuing to rise…”
Alternative Fact
The peak of this virus’ death rate is likely to hit in two weeks. We MUST stay the course and keep following the [CDC social distancing] guidelines.
President Trump Tweet, 3/29/20
Fact
President Trump practicing social distancing, 3/29/20
Alternative Fact
Thousand of Federal Government (delivered) Ventilators found in New York storage. N.Y. must distribute NOW!
President Trump Tweet, 3/27/20
Fact
Yes, they’re in a stockpile, because that’s where they’re supposed to be, because we don’t need them yet, we need them for the apex, the apex isn’t here so we’re gathering them in the stockpile so when we need them they will be there.”
NY Governor, Mario Cuomo, 3/27/20
Alternative Fact
“I have a feeling that a lot of the numbers that are being said in some areas are just bigger than they’re going to need. I don’t believe you need 40,000 or 30,000 ventilators. You know, you go to major hospitals, sometimes they have two ventilators. Now all of a sudden they’re saying can we order 30,000 ventilators.”
President Trump on Fox’s Hannity, 3/26/20
Fact
General Motors MUST immediately open their stupidly abandoned Lordstown plant in Ohio, or some other plant, and START MAKING VENTILATORS, NOW!!!!!! FORD, GET GOING ON VENTILATORS, FAST!!!!!!
President Trump, Tweet, 3/27/2020
Editor’s Note: GM sold the Lordstown, OH plant in November 2019.
Alternative Fact
When asked to rate the Administration’s response to the pandemic:
“I’d rate it a 10. I think we’ve done a great job. And it started with the fact that we kept a very highly infected country — despite all of the — even the professionals saying, “No, it’s too early to do that.” We were very, very, early with respect to China. And we would have a whole different situation in this country if we didn’t do that.”
President Trump, 3/16/20
Fact
Since January 2020, health authorities have identified more than 111,000 Covid-19 cases in the United States. As of 3/28/20, 1,850 — about 2% — of those patients have died.
Fact, 3/28/2020
Alternative Fact
“I’m pleased to report that clinical trials in New York will begin existing for existing drugs that may prove effective against the virus. At my direction, the federal government is working to help obtain large quantities of chloroquine. And you can look from any standpoint tomorrow, in New York — we think tomorrow pretty early — the hydroxychloroquine and the Z-Pak, I think as a combination, probably, is looking very, very good. And it’s going to be distributed. We have 10,000 units going, and it’ll be distributed tomorrow. It’ll be available and is now; they already have it. They’re going to distribute it tomorrow morning to a lot of people in New York City and New York.”
President Trump, White House briefing, 3/23/2020
Fact
A Phoenix-area man has died and his wife was in critical condition after the couple took chloroquine phosphate, an additive used to clean fish tanks that is also found in an anti-malaria medication touted by Donald Trump as a treatment for Covid-19.
The Guardian, 3/24/20
Alternative Fact
I’ve felt that it [coronavirus] was a pandemic long before it was called a pandemic”
President Trump, White House briefing, 3/17/2020
Fact
When asked by CNBC’s Joe Kernen about worries that the coronavirus will become a pandemic:
“No, not at all. It’s going to be just fine. We have it totally under control”
President Trump, 1/22/2020
Alternative Fact
“Containment is ‘pretty close to airtight”
Larry Kudlow, National Economic Council Director, CNBC interview, 2/25/2020
Fact
Just look at the news headlines three weeks later…
Alternative Fact
“Anybody that needs a test can have a test. They’re all set. They have them out there. … But as of right now and yesterday, anybody that needs a test… that’s the important thing. And the tests are all perfect.”
President Trump, 3/6/2020
Fact
“We don’t have enough tests today to meet what we anticipate will be the demand going forward.”
Vice President Pence, 3/5/2020.
Alternative Fact
“The Coronavirus is very much under control in the USA. We are in contact with everyone and all relevant countries. CDC & World Health have been working hard and very smart. Stock Market starting to look very good to me!”
President Trump, Twitter 2/24/20, 3:42 pm
Fact
