Presidential Disinformation in a Public Health Crisis

U.S. President Donald Trump poses on the Truman Balcony of the White House after returning from being hospitalized at Walter Reed Medical Center for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) treatment, in Washington, Oct. 5, 2020. Source.

At a recent campaign rally President Donald Trump told North Carolina voters that they shouldn’t worry because the COVID-19 pandemic is soon to “peter out.” Despite his positive affirmations, COVID cases in North Carolina and the rest of the country continue to rise. Statements of misinformation President Trump regarding the pandemic have been shown have dangerous repercussions for the United States as a whole.. 

Research has shown that President Trump is the largest and most effective spreader of misinformation, specifically about the pandemic and mail-in voting, and specifically over Twitter. President Trump has encouraged his supporters to not let COVID-19 “dominate” their lives. The Harvard Kennedy School recently released the findings from one of their research studies into the implications of COVID misinformation. The researchers found that misconceptions about the virus led to less social distancing which can have dire implications on those around these people who believe Trump’s false information. 

Leading federal health official Dr. Anthony Fauci said just days ago in an interview that we, as a nation, “ could not possibly be positioned more poorly.” As the winter months dawn upon the United States and temperatures drop, Dr. Fauci predicts a serious uptick in COVID cases. Yesterday, Wednesday, November 11, the nation set a record number of 143,000 new diagnosed cases in one day. Over the course of the 2020 election, President Trump’s ill handling of the virus was a topic of criticism. CNBC reported that 72% of likely voters approve of how Dr. Fauci has handled the virus, but only 41% of voters approve of President Trump’s handling of the pandemic. President Trump and his campaign never mandated masks or any other precautions at his campaign rallies despite reports of two attendees of his Gastonia, NC rally testing positive for the virus

The pandemic continues to run rampant in the United States and health officials predict it will continue to escalate. These trends, compounded by President Trump’s false claims about the virus, do not bode well as the U.S. enters into the colder, winter months. As North Carolina citizens we must continue to do our part by maintaining all mandated and recommended health protocols such as staying away from large groups and wearing masks when in public.