Calls to ban Trump entirely grow louder after Facebook, Twitter remove post about children being immune to Covid-19
US President Donald Trump is always enmeshed in controversies for his social media posts that enrage his critics and general public, often. This time, POTUS is in the news for his statements about Covid-19 after which Facebook removed his post on August 5, stating that it was misinformation. Twitter has also asked Trump's campaign to remove misleading post, temporarily banning the account from tweeting until it does so.
Trump posted a video of his interview given to Fox News on Wednesday, August 5, morning on Facebook and Twitter, where he claimed that children are “virtually immune” to the virus. “They don’t have a problem, they just don’t have a problem,” Trump said, as part of an argument for why schools should reopen. “It doesn’t have an impact on them. I’ve watched some doctors say they’re totally immune.”
As a result, both Facebook and Twitter said the post violated their rules on Covid-19 misinformation. "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 spokesperson Andy Stone said in a statement on August 5. Stone said the claims it "ran afoul of Facebook's rules about kids.”
CNN reporter Donie O'Sullivan tweeted,“#BREAK Facebook removes post from President Trump's page for breaking its rules on Covid-19 misinformation. The post was a clip of his interview with Fox & Friends this morning where he made claims about children and Covid-19 immunity”.
#BREAK Facebook removes post from President Trump's page for breaking its rules on Covid-19 misinformation.
— Donie O'Sullivan (@donie) August 5, 2020
The post was a clip of his interview with Fox & Friends this morning where he made claims about children and Covid-19 immunity pic.twitter.com/tPYPAVLYY8
“This is not the first time Facebook has removed something from Trump's page -- but it is the first time Facebook has removed something from Trump's page because of Covid-19 misinformation, Facebook spox tells me”, he further added.
This is not the first time Facebook has removed something from Trump's page -- but it is the first time Facebook has removed something from Trump's page because of Covid-19 misinformation, Facebook spox tells me.
— Donie O'Sullivan (@donie) August 5, 2020
Earlier, Google, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube censored and removed another Trump video from July 27, “White Coat Summit” in Washington DC. The move was taken on pretext that videos were dispelling misinformation and myths surrounding coronavirus.
As anticipated, Trump's was flagged on social media by enraged users. Many of them claimed that Facebook's audience is surprisingly a huge “Trump/MAGA audience”. Users mentioned that the right-wing nationalist media has exploited fake news that would never appear in a respectable newspaper, such as given by Trump. Other users rebuked White House for being “most corrupt, anti-science, alien-virus-causing, demon sperm spewing WH in history”. “That's rich coming from the most corrupt, anti-science, alien-virus-causing, demon sperm spewing WH in history.The campaign is desperate & that is a good thing. Facts do matter & on November 3, the facts & the people are going to smack Trump & his colluders in their faces,” tweeted a user.
That's rich coming from the most corrupt, anti-science, alien-virus-causing, demon sperm spewing WH in history.
— michele t (@mstropics) August 5, 2020
The campaign is desperate & that is a good thing. Facts do matter & on November 3, the facts & the people are going to smack Trump & his colluders in their faces.
“On the contrary, the Facebook audience is surprisingly a huge Trump/MAGA audience. The top 10 advertisers on Facebook are all Trump/Fox News/Breibart related. And yes right-wing nationalist media has exploited fake new stories that would never appear in a respectable newspaper,” tweeted another enraged user.
On the contrary, the Facebook audience is surprisingly a huge Trump/MAGA audience. The top 10 advertisers on Facebook are all Trump/Fox News/Breibart related. And yes right-wing nationalist media has exploited fake new stories that would never appear in a respectable newspaper.
— Eric Nelson, Ph.D. (@CommodoreNelson) August 5, 2020
Many users believed that the news of the removal of video pertaining to misinformation would be a blow to the “orange ego”. People lauded Facebook and Twitter for their efforts and wished it the best. “Dr Zuckerberg at it again, for a nerd punk seems to know everything”, tweeted a user. “OMG THEY NEED TO JUST BAN HIM ENTIRELY. LIKE TWITTER DOES”, tweeted an elated user.
“Oooohhh, brutal. That’s like your racist uncle calling you out for going too far. I’d say this has got to be a blow to the orange ego but we all know Trump doesn’t operate with logic. Props to FB for trying to fight stupid. Best of luck to you,” tweeted another user.
Oooohhh, brutal. That’s like your racist uncle calling you out for going too far. I’d say this has got to be a blow to the orange ego but we all know Trump doesn’t operate with logic. Props to FB for trying to fight stupid. Best of luck to you.
— ᴘᴇᴛᴇ ᴠᴀɴʟɪᴇʀᴇ (@petevanliere) August 6, 2020
A CDC study involving 2,500 children published in April found that about 1 in 5 infected children were hospitalized versus 1 in 3 adults; three children died. The study lacks complete data on all the cases, but it also suggests that many infected children have no symptoms, which could allow them to spread the virus to others, as reported in Associated Press.