In this photo illustration, the Twitter account of US President Donald Trump is displayed on a mobile phone on August 10, 2020, in Arlington, Virginia. (AFP)
Twitter flags Trump tweet saying he was ‘immune’ to coronavirus as ‘misleading’
Twitter flagged on Sunday US President Donald Trump’s tweet claiming to be “immune” to the coronavirus, saying it violated the platform’s rules about “misleading” information related to COVID-19.
Trump had said in a tweet: “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!!!”
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Twitter hid the President’s tweet and displayed a disclaimer saying: “This Tweet violated the Twitter Rules about spreading misleading and potentially harmful information related to COVID-19. However, Twitter has determined that it may be in the public’s interest for the Tweet to remain accessible.”
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
Trump had said in an interview with Fox News that he had fully recovered from COVID-19 illness and that he did not pose a potential risk of spreading the infection to others. He added that this allowed him to return to his re-election campaign events.
The White House physician Dr. Sean Conley said in a memo on Saturday: “This evening I am happy to report that in addition to the President meeting CDC criteria for the safe discontinuation of isolation, this morning’s COVID-19 PCR sample demonstrates, by currently recognized standards, he is no longer considered a transmission risk to others.”
“Now at day 10 from symptom onset, fever-free for well over 24 hours and all symptoms improved, the assortment of advanced diagnostic tests obtained reveal there is no longer evidence of actively replicating virus,” he added.
Saturday night’s update from President @realDonaldTrump’s physician: pic.twitter.com/UG4oRJaE0p
— Kayleigh McEnany (@PressSec) October 11, 2020
Asked about whether the doctor’s memo meant he no longer had COVID-19, Trump told the Fox News host: “Yes, and not only that, it seems like I'm immune, so I can go way out of a basement, which I would have done anyway.”
President @realDonaldTrump's doctor say he is no longer a transmission risk: "The president is in very good shape" pic.twitter.com/n3dzHIUrc8
— Team Trump (Text VOTE to 88022) (@TeamTrump) October 11, 2020
However, there hasn’t been an official White House announcement clearly stating that Trump was coronavirus-free.
Trump had been taken on Oct 2 from the White House to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center near Washington just hours after he was diagnosed with COVID-19.
Tonight, @FLOTUS and I tested positive for COVID-19. We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 2, 2020
He was discharged from Walter Reed on Monday and returned to work in the Oval Office on Wednesday.
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Read more:
Coronavirus: US President Trump says catching COVID-19 was a ‘blessing from God’
Trump ‘no longer considered a transmission risk’ for COVID: White House doctor
Coronavirus: ‘I am feeling great,’ Trump tells supporters at White House
