Trump “I’m Immune” Tweet Flagged for Spreading False COVID-19 Info
Donald Trump keeps proclaiming that he’s now immune from the coronavirus after his bout with the disease, even going so far Sunday morning to tell his Fox News audience that he is basking in a “protective glow” of immunity. Shortly after that phone appearance concluded he reiterated that claim on social media, tweeting:
“A total and complete sign off from White House Doctors yesterday. That means I can’t get it (immune) and can’t give it. Very nice to know!!!” One could conclude that Trump was trying to send a reassuring signal that he’s not going to spread the virus to those who might attend his upcoming campaign rallies, including one Monday in Sanford, Fla.
But Twitter and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say “I don’t think so.” Not long after Trump’s thumb hit send Twitter flagged his tweet for spreading misleading and potentially harmful information related to COVID-19. While Twitter did allow the tweet to remain accessible, it cannot be retweeted: “As is standard with this public interest notice, engagements with the Tweet will be significantly limited.”
For its part the CDC says there is no evidence that people are immune to coronavirus if they have been infected once. In fact, the CDC specifically cautions people not to assume they are immune.
Trump posted the same language to his Facebook account, but as of Monday morning it was still there despite the fact that it violates Facebook’s policy about spreading false coronavirus information. So far it’s been viewed more than 730,000 times and shared by some 37,000 of those following Trump’s account.
