For weeks this and many other publications have written extensively about the misinformation President Donald Trump and his Administration have been spreading via Twitter
This issue was really brought to the forefront by the President himself. In keeping with his obsession with his public image and television ratings, Trump tweeted that the media is talking about his coverage of the virus because of his popularity.
"Because the "Ratings" of my News Conferences etc. are so high, "Bachelor finale, Monday Night Football type numbers" ... the Lamestream Media is going CRAZY. "Trump is reaching too many people, we must stop him." said one lunatic. See you at 5:00 P.M.!" Trump tweeted.
Unsurprisingly, Twitter exploded with the outrage of Americans who are watching their loved ones become ill and their communities close down. Even Fox News pundits like Bit Hume were disappointed in the President's words. Hume retweeted the President with the comment "Why bother to tweet about this, of all things?"
Katharina Borchert, Chief Innovation Officer Mozilla, and Ex-CEO Spiegel Online tweeted at the President, "Someone should tell him that his ratings will drop when his audience dies in large numbers. Maybe that gets through to him."
The problem, of course, is that huge numbers of people, 8.5 million according to the New York Times, are turning to these briefings for accurate information regarding how to survive this crisis, physically and economically, not because they want to see Trump. Other officials like Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and Dr. Deborah Birx, a physician with extensive experience combating HIV/AIDS and the White House's COVID-19 response coordinator, also speak at these briefings.
As of March 29, the Times is reporting that there are now more than 125,000 cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. According to the most recent White House press briefing, that number could reach into the millions before the crisis is over. That number was given by Fauci, not the President. This briefing also extended the period of social distancing recommended by the government until April 30.
Trump made another splash during this briefing due to his treatment of a reporter who asked about his recent comments on Fox New's show hosted by Sean Hannity. "PBS NewsHour" reporter Yamiche Alcindor asked the President about comments he made claiming that some governors were overstating their needs during the crisis.
"I have a feeling that a lot of the numbers that are being said in some areas are just bigger than they're going to be," . "I don't believe you need 40,000 or 30,000 ventilators. You go into major hospitals sometimes, and they'll have two ventilators. And now, all of a sudden, they're saying, 'Can we order 30,000 ventilators?'"
Trump first denied that he had made the statements at all, "I never said that. No. No." This despite the fact that they were broadcast on tv and reported on by multiple news outlets. He went on to attack Alcindor.
"Why don't you act in a little more positive? ... It's always get ya, get ya, get ya," Trump said to Alcindor. "You know what? That's why nobody trusts the media anymore... Look, let me tell you something. Be nice. Don't be threatening."
In the meantime, the most serious threat to the country right now has been mishandled and repeatedly downplayed by the Administration.
