As Donald Trump addresses the nation through a virtual town hall, the American people should think twice before believing a word that comes from our gaslighter-in-chief. From the White House briefing room, Trump has misled our country about the safety of drugs, the production of ventilators, the effectiveness of his travel bans, and the number of coronavirus tests available across the country. We cannot trust Donald Trump or his administration to effectively unite, communicate, and overcome this dangerous pandemic.
“The American people are terrified for their health and safety, and during this time of crisis, instead of reassuring our nation, Donald Trump continues to openly gaslight and obscure the facts – all to hide his lies, failures, and broken promises,” said Kyle Morse, an American Bridge Spokesperson. “Trump’s failed leadership is directly responsible for turning an already bad situation into a cataclysmic disaster. After ignoring health experts and openly flirting with re-opening businesses across the country, we cannot trust him to learn from his mistakes and effectively lead us during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Trump continues to lie to the American People:
LIE: Trump says, “Chloroquine won’t kill anybody.”
During a Coronavirus Task Force briefing on March 19, 2020, on chloroquine, Donald Trump said, “It is known as a malaria drug, and it’s been around for a long time. And it’s very powerful. But the nice part is, it’s been around for a long time, so we know if things don’t go as planned, it’s not going to kill anyone.” [Youtube, 3/19/20]
FACT: Man dies after ingesting chloroquine in an attempt to prevent coronavirus
- According to a NBC report, “An Arizona man has died after ingesting chloroquine phosphate — believing it would protect him from becoming infected with the coronavirus. The man’s wife also ingested the substance and is under critical care…The man’s wife told NBC News she’d watched televised briefings during which President Trump talked about the potential benefits of chloroquine. Even though no drugs are approved to prevent or treat COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, some early research suggests it may be useful as a therapy.” [NBC, 3/24/20]
FACT: In an interview, the deceased man’s wife says, “Oh my God. Don’t take anything. Don’t believe anything. Don’t believe anything that the President says & his people…call your doctor.”
- In an interview with NBC’s Vaughn Hillyard, the widow says, “Trump kept saying it was basically pretty much a cure,” and when asked what her message to the American people is, she replied, “Oh my God. Don’t take anything. Don’t believe anything. Don’t believe anything that the President says & his people…call your doctor.” [Twitter, 3/24/20]
LIE: Trump claims that an unproven, untested drug should be “put in use IMMEDIATELY” to treat coronavirus.
Trump took to twitter to continue to push the unproven drug cocktail saying, “HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE & AZITHROMYCIN, taken together, have a real chance to be one of the biggest game-changers in the history of medicine. The FDA has moved mountains – Thank You! Hopefully, they will BOTH (H works better with A, International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents)………be put in use IMMEDIATELY. PEOPLE ARE DYING, MOVE FAST, and GOD BLESS EVERYONE!” [Twitter, 3/21/20]
FACT: Dr. Anthony Fauci, “Today, there are no proven safe and effective therapies…There’s no magic drug out there right now.”
In an interview with CNN, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Dr. Anthony Fauci said, “Today, there are no proven safe and effective therapies…There’s no magic drug out there right now.” [CNN, 3/19/20]
LIE: Trump claims he acted swiftly to contain the virus by issuing travel restrictions on China early on.
Trump took to Twitter to say, “Forgot to mention that I closed our Country to China (and Europe) very early, long before it was considered acceptable to do so. Sleepy Joe said I was “xenophobic”, but I saved thousands of lives! Fake News!” [Twitter, 3/23/20]
FACT: 300,000 people traveled from China to the U.S. during the “travel ban.”
According to the Washington Post, More than 300,000 people traveled from China in the month before the so-called travel ban was imposed on February 2. The horse had already left the barn. And the restrictions were well after Trump was receiving classified briefings from his intelligence officials warning him about the imminent threat to the US. [Washington Post, 3/14/20]
LIE: On ventilators, Trump says automakers are “making them right now.
TRUMP, on addressing a shortage of ventilators: “General Motors, Ford, so many companies — I had three calls yesterday directly, without having to institute like: `You will do this’ — these companies are making them right now.” — briefing Saturday. [Youtube, 3/21/20]
FACT: No automaker is anywhere close to making medical gear such as ventilators and remains months away — if not longer.
According to an AP Fact Check, “No automaker is anywhere close to making medical gear such as ventilators and remain months away — if not longer. Nor do the car companies need the president’s permission to move forward. Neither GM or Ford is building ventilators at present, while Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted Friday that his company was “working on ventilators” but he didn’t specify how long it might take. His tweets also questioned the need and said it couldn’t be done immediately. Unless automakers can move with unprecedented speed, redirecting plants to make completely different products will take a long time — possibly too long to help with medical gear shortages.” [AP, 3/23/20]
Published: Mar 24, 2020 | Last Modified: May 29, 2020