October 13, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – Twitter has labeled yet another tweet by President Donald Trump as “misleading and potentially harmful,” this time flagging a statement about Trump’s own health.
On Saturday, Trump tweeted that he has “total and complete sign off from White House Doctors yesterday” after his bout with COVID-19. “That means I can’t get it (immune), and can’t give it.”
The next day, White House physician and U.S. Navy Commander Dr. Sean Conley confirmed in writing that the president “has tested NEGATIVE, on consecutive days, using the Abbott BinaxNOW antigen card.” This along with “additional clinical and laboratory data … in concert with the CDC’s guidelines for removal of transmission-based precautions, have informed our medical team’s assessment that the President is not infectious to others.”
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!!!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 11, 2020
An update from President @realDonaldTrump’s physician: pic.twitter.com/XTxs2BjImt
— Kayleigh McEnany (@PressSec) October 12, 2020
However, Twitter has placed over the president’s tweet a disclaimer that it “violated the Twitter Rules about spreading misleading and potentially harmful information related to COVID-19.” It can still be viewed by clicking through the disclaimer, but it cannot be liked or replied to, and it can only be shared if accompanied by additional commentary.
Twitter, which has no inside information on what the president’s doctors told him, appears to be basing its decision on a handful of cases of individuals contracting COVID-19 after previously recovering from the virus. Such cases remain extremely rare, however, at five worldwide out of 38 million known infections.
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, an ophthalmologist, assailed Twitter as “science illiterates” for the action, noting that even Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government infectious disease adviser who has been embraced as a COVID-19 authority by the mainstream media, has said reinfection is unlikely.
Science illiterates at twitter censor @realDonaldTrump for saying he’s immune. Even the ever-cautious Dr. Fauci concedes that he feels “really confident”&”willing to bet anything that people who recover are really protected against re-infection.” https://t.co/JJt11Lr95R
— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) October 11, 2020
This is not the first time Twitter has flagged one of Trump’s COVID tweets for alleged misinformation. Last week, it censored the president for comparing the coronavirus with the flu, and has similarly restricted his tweets on other subjects.
The trend reinforces conservative distrust of Twitter, Facebook, and Google’s self-declared mission to police discussion of the coronavirus on their platforms. Critics allege that, between the tech giants’ history of left-wing bias and decision to hold up the embattled World Health Organization as an authority on the virus despite its pro-China bias, the mission is a pretext to stifle legitimate debate on the crisis and the government’s response.
In July, 72 percent of respondents told Pew Research that social media companies have “too much power and influence” over politics.