Twitter Slaps A Warning To Donald Trump's Misleading Immune Tweet
Twitter has added a warning to President Donald Trump's tweet that claims he is immune to the still-raging coronavirus. Aside from that, the social media platform restricted access to some sharing options on the aforesaid tweet, which Twitter says violates its rules against spreading misinformation about COVID-19.
A day after a White House doctor announced that Trump was no longer at risk of transmitting the deadly coronavirus, the president said he was fit enough to make a comeback to the campaign trail. Twitter added a warning label on a tweet in which Trump declared he was immune from the coronavirus.
The Twitter warning says the president's tweet violated the social media platform's rules that restrict users from spreading misleading and possibly harmful information about COVID-19. White House bureau chief Steve Herman tweeted this warning, along with a link to an article on Forbes about what the CDC says regarding how long a person remains immune to the virus after recovering from an infection.
Trump, who is slated to host his first official campaign rally on Monday after his COVID-19 diagnosis, did not clarify in his tweet whether or not he had tested negative for the coronavirus. The president's immunity claim comes when there are several unanswered questions about his health.
During an interview on Fox News, Trump announced, "I'm immune," adding that the president is in good shape to fight the battles. The White House, Navy Cmdr. Dr. Sean Conley released a memo on Sunday, claiming that the president met the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) criteria for discontinuing isolation safely.
Conley went on to say that Trump was no longer considered a transmission risk under the CDC's currently recognized standards. However, the memo did not reveal whether or not the president had tested negative for the virus.
It is worth noting that sensitive lab tests, such as the PCR test, determine whether a person has contracted the virus by swabbing samples taken from the person's nose or throat. Some medical experts have raised concerns regarding Trump being declared free of the risk of transmitting the coronavirus too early while he is still in the course of his illness.
It has been only ten days since he was first diagnosed with the infection, and doctors argue that there was no way to determine that an individual was no longer contagious. The memo comes after the president's first public appearance after returning to the White House following his treatment at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
A large crowd gathered on the South Lawn of the White House on Saturday as the president spoke from a nearby balcony. Just moments after emerging on the balcony, Trump removed his mask.