BRIAN KILMEADE (CO-HOST): Big Tech vs. the White House. Facebook and Twitter taking down the same post from President Trump citing the coronavirus. Misinformation?
AINSLEY EARHARDT (CO-HOST): Yeah, Twitter even suspending the Trump campaign account, too.
PETE HEGSETH (CO-HOST): Ashley Strohmier joins us live, with how the Trump team is responding. Ashley, good morning.
ASHLEY STROHMIER (ANCHOR): Good morning, guys. For the first time, Facebook pulled a post from President Trump, and Twitter then removed then removed the same post, as well as suspended his campaign's account. Both tech giants claiming what President Trump said on Fox & Friends on Wednesday was misinformation about kids and COVID-19. Watch.
(BEGIN CLIP)
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: This thing's going away. It will go away like things go away, and my view is that schools should be open. If you look at children — children are almost, and I would almost say definitely — but almost immune from this disease.
(END CLIP)
STROHMIER: A spokesperson for Twitter and Facebook both sent statements to Fox & Friends. Facebook said, quote, “This video includes false claims that a group of people is immune from COVID-19, which is a violation of our policies around harmful [COVID] misinformation.” Twitter, too, said, “The @TeamTrump Tweet you referenced is in violation of the Twitter Rules on COVID-19 misinformation. The account owner will be required to remove the Tweet before they can Tweet again.”
The Trump campaign fired back, responding in part, quote, “The president was stating a fact that children are less susceptible to the coronavirus. Another day, another display of Silicon Valley's flagrant bias against this President.”
This isn't the first time the president's had a run-in with Twitter, though. The platform has flagged several of his tweets for violating its policies in recent months. Guys, back to you.
KILMEADE: Absolutely incredible. All those great doctors in Silicon Valley will decide what is right and what is wrong.
HEGSETH: So much for Mark Zuckerberg saying he wouldn't be “the arbiter of truth.”
KILMEADE: Right.
HEGSETH: Out the window.
KILMEADE: As well as who's running Twitter these days.
HEGSETH: Yeah.