Trump Defends Reposting Claim That ‘Everyone’ Is Lying About COVID-19: Many People Think Testing ‘Is a Trap’
President Donald Trump is doubling down on his support of former game show host Chuck Woolery’s tweet suggesting “everyone” is lying about the coronavirus. During an interview with CBS, Trump was asked about his retweet…
President Donald Trump is doubling down on his support of former game show host Chuck Woolery’s tweet suggesting “everyone” is lying about the coronavirus.
During an interview with CBS, Trump was asked about his retweet of Woolery’s accusation against the “CDC, media, Democrats,” and various “doctors.”
On Monday, Trump shared Woolery’s tweet that read, “The most outrageous lies are the ones about Covid-19. Everyone is lying. The CDC, Media, Democrats, our Doctors, not all but most, that we are told to trust. I think it’s all about the election and keeping the economy from coming back, which is about the election.”
Despite criticism about the tweet, Trump defended his decision to repost it as he claimed many people believe coronavirus testing is “a trap.”
CBS’ Catherine Herridge said, “You understand this is confusing for the public,” to which Trump responded, “No.”
Asked who he believes, Trump answered, “I reposted a tweet that a lot of people feel. But all I’m doing is making a comment. I’m just putting somebody’s voice out there. There are many voices. There are many people that think we shouldn’t do this kind of testing, because all we do, it’s a trap.”
On the contrary, the president also insisted that testing may be working “too well” when it comes to identifying more and more cases.
“We have 45 million tests as of, I think today, approximately, 45 million tests,” Trump said. “No other country tests like us. In fact, I could say it’s working too much. It’s working too well. We’re doing testing and we’re finding thousands and thousands of cases.”
In regard to on-site testing which offers swift results in 30 minutes, the president expressed concern about accuracy.
See Trump’s remarks below:
Trump’s latest remarks come as more than 37 states see rises in coronavirus cases.
On Tuesday, Brett Giroir — Assistant Secretary for Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services — was asked his opinion of Trump’s retweet.
Giroir, also a member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, confirmed “nobody lies to the American people,” as previously reported on IJR.
Over the last three weeks, Trump has made multiple remarks condemning testing as states experience spikes nationwide. But despite the uptick in cases, the president is still pushing for schools to reopen in the Fall.
As of Wednesday afternoon, there are more than 3.5 million confirmed coronavirus cases in the United States. The death toll is approaching 140,000. There are more than 1.6 million recoveries reported.