The president has used the coronavirus briefings to repeatedly misstate the facts about his administration’s handling of the pandemic, the economy and trade with China.
An April Filled with Repeats
Issues: coronavirus
The White House Isn’t Selling Coronavirus Coins
Headlines shared across social media caused some to wrongly believe the White House is selling coins commemorating the COVID-19 pandemic. The coin referenced is being sold by the White House Gift Shop, which is a private company based in Pennsylvania.
Stay-at-Home Policies Treat Mosques Same as Churches
A Facebook post claims that mosques have been allowed to remain open for services, while churches have not. But all places of worship are treated the same by state regulations that prohibit religious gatherings in order to slow the spread of COVID-19.
Video: Understanding COVID-19 Antibody Tests
In this video, we take a look at COVID-19 antibody tests, which can reveal whether someone was previously infected with the novel coronavirus — and explain why a positive or negative result may not always be so easy to interpret.
Trump’s COVID-19 Testing Claim Is Way Off
The United States has not done more COVID-19 testing than “every country combined,” as President Donald Trump claimed in remarks during a recent press briefing.
Trump Misquotes Fauci on Coronavirus Threat
Defending his early response to the coronavirus pandemic, President Donald Trump wrongly claimed that in late February, Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, was saying, “This is no problem. This is going to blow over.”
No Evidence That Flu Shot Increases Risk of COVID-19
A claim being pushed on social media and by an organization skeptical of vaccines is using a military study to falsely suggest that the flu vaccine increases someone’s risk of contracting COVID-19.
Q&A on COVID-19 Antibody Tests
We’ll run through how the tests work and why it’s so hard to interpret what the results might mean.
The White House Spins Trump’s Disinfectant Remarks
President Donald Trump says he was being “sarcastic” when he mused about the possibility of injecting disinfectant into the body to kill COVID-19. You be the judge.
One Photo, Two Stories — But No Deceit by News Websites
A viral post compares side-by-side screenshots from two news websites to falsely claim that using the same image of people at the beach during the COVID-19 pandemic is an example of media deception. The location of the scene in Jacksonville, Florida, is identified accurately in each news report.