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A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

Trump’s Misleading Ventilator Counter-Punch at Cuomo

Trump’s Misleading Ventilator Counter-Punch at Cuomo

Hitting back at New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s pleas for the federal government to provide more ventilators, President Donald Trump misleadingly claimed Cuomo rejected a 2015 recommendation to purchase 15,000 ventilators and instead “established death panels” and “lotteries.”

Trump’s Faulty Testing Claims

Trump’s Faulty Testing Claims

President Donald Trump and coronavirus task force coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx said the United States had done more testing for COVID-19 infections in eight days than South Korea had done in eight weeks, but that ignores the fact that South Korea has a much smaller population. On a per-capita basis, the U.S. lags behind the Asian country, and other nations.

Martial Law Isn’t ‘Imminent’

Martial Law Isn’t ‘Imminent’

Viral social media posts and videos have falsely claimed that “martial law [is] imminent” in the U.S. Those bogus reports are being pushed in some cases by those who sell emergency and survivalist products.

Viral Post Twists Biden’s Words About VP Nominee

Viral Post Twists Biden’s Words About VP Nominee

A viral social media post wrongly states that former Vice President Joe Biden told donors “he will not be president for very long” if elected. Biden merely said that he would seek an experienced vice presidential running mate who would be prepared to step into the presidency “if something happened.” 

False Claim of Congressional Pay Raises in Stimulus Bill

False Claim of Congressional Pay Raises in Stimulus Bill

Facebook posts falsely claim that House Democrats included $25 million to boost their own salaries in their proposal for the coronavirus-related stimulus package. That funding is not for legislators’ pay increases; it’s also in the bill being advanced by the Republican-controlled Senate.

Trump’s Suspect Spanish Flu Claims

Trump’s Suspect Spanish Flu Claims

President Donald Trump recently said “close to 100 million people died” from the 1918 Spanish flu, and that “if you got it you had a 50/50 chance, or very close, of dying.” But 100 million is a high-end estimate of global deaths from that influenza pandemic, and we found no evidence the case fatality rate for those who had it was 50%.

Trump Hypes Potential COVID-19 Drugs, But Evidence So Far Is Slim

Trump Hypes Potential COVID-19 Drugs, But Evidence So Far Is Slim

President Donald Trump has enthusiastically pushed the use of two malaria drugs — one in combination with an antibiotic — to treat COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. But there is currently only limited evidence to suggest the drugs are effective against the new virus.

Posts Distort Facts on Coronavirus Air Transmission, Masks

Posts Distort Facts on Coronavirus Air Transmission, Masks

Facebook posts make the unsubstantiated suggestion that the novel coronavirus is infectious in the air for “8 hrs,” and falsely claim that “everyone is required to wear mask everywhere!” There is also no requirement for healthy people to wear masks; experts say health care workers need them most.

Correcting Trump’s Press Conference Misinformation

Correcting Trump’s Press Conference Misinformation

President Donald Trump has been holding daily press conferences to provide the latest information about the coronavirus from the federal government, but his rhetoric has sometimes been imprecise, misleading or outright incorrect.

Biden Video on Trump ‘Silencing’ Expert

Biden Video on Trump ‘Silencing’ Expert

Over the weekend, the Biden campaign posted a video that claims the Trump administration silenced Dr. Nancy Messonnier for “speaking out” about the new coronavirus at a Feb. 25 press briefing. But the campaign’s support for the claim is awfully thin.