Fox & Friends defends Trump’s false statements about coronavirus and children, after social media platforms removed the video clip
Trump claimed on the show that children are “almost immune from this disease.” The show’s hosts lambaste “all those great doctors in Silicon Valley”
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From the August 6, 2020, edition of Fox News’ Fox & Friends
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.