AND WINDMILLS CAUSE CANCER
‘Misinformation and Lying’: Trump Blasted as ‘Virus Death Toll Truther’ Amid Reports He Says Numbers Are Exaggerated

“Trump is gonna ask to see the long form death certificates”
President Donald Trump has been telling White House aides he believes the death toll numbers from the coronavirus pandemic are exaggerated and that far fewer Americans have died from COVID-19. Experts have repeatedly said the numbers are far lower than what they actually are, citing a wide variety of reasons.
“President Trump has complained to advisers about the way coronavirus deaths are being calculated, suggesting the real numbers are actually lower — and a number of his senior aides share this view, according to sources with direct knowledge,” Axios reports. “A senior administration official said he expects the president to begin publicly questioning the death toll as it closes in on his predictions for the final death count and damages him politically.”
Supporting experts’ claims are that large sudden deaths are being recorded across the country but not attributed to COVID-19, in large part because testing is still extremely limited. Not everyone who dies from the disease even knew they had it. And the lack of available testing has led doctors who believe patients died of coronavirus to list COVID-19 as the cause of death without a test.
“The number of people dying over the past few weeks, in many parts of the country, is a lot higher than average, suggesting that the official count of coronavirus-related deaths is still missing tens of thousands of people,” Axios adds.
CNN’s Daniel Dale quotes the President today:
Trump says the media is "very devious people and in many cases very bad people" for saying that there are more coronavirus cases, since we only know this because so much testing is being done.
— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) May 6, 2020
The Internet is furious.
Trump is being labeled “a virus death toll truther” by The American Independent’s Oliver Willis, while CNN’s Oliver Darcy notes the right wing media machine has been pushing this false theory.
Take a look at some of the responses to the news:
trump was the most prominent birther in america (something the msm never brings up anymore), so being a virus death toll truther is right in line. and they'll memory hole that too, in time.
— Oliver Willis (@owillis) May 6, 2020
Trump 2020: Your grandma’s not actually dead. https://t.co/2yO2JTHEvx
— Matthew Yglesias (@mattyglesias) May 6, 2020
Honestly, given how many right-wing media stars have pushed a version of this theory, the only thing surprising here is that it has taken so long for Trump to seize on it. It's been thriving on Fox and talk radio for about a month.
— Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) May 6, 2020
“Just remember, what you’re seeing and what you’re reading is not what’s happening.” — Donald Trump, 2018 https://t.co/tbGKeXZTn4
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 6, 2020
Oh no Trump is gonna ask to see the long form death certificates https://t.co/sg0vFxqfpJ
— The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) May 6, 2020
Don Jr was spreading this conspiracy theory just a few days ago. https://t.co/EpxwD1m2ra
— S.V. Dáte (@svdate) May 6, 2020
Trump says the media is "very devious people and in many cases very bad people" for saying that there are more coronavirus cases, since we only know this because so much testing is being done.
— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) May 6, 2020
Here it comes. “Fake body counts!” https://t.co/gypSHGrtTF
— Jerry Taylor (@jerry_jtaylor) May 6, 2020
This is called seeding. Trump will now be asked about this as if he didn't bring it up, and he'll say many people are saying the death toll isn't actually as high as reported. Eventually he'll make the death toll a Democratic hoax to bring him down.
— Paul 👻 (@pablo_honey1) May 6, 2020
Oh dear. COVID-19 Death Truthers incoming. https://t.co/CuxbkCMCmV
— #TestAndTrace EVERYWHERE NOW 🐇 (@Noahpinion) May 6, 2020
The idea reporters (or reporting) are to blame for the presidents incompetence is really next level thought jujitsu. https://t.co/sDrUC32dcF
— Molly Jong-Fast🏡 (@MollyJongFast) May 6, 2020
Coroners Against Trump . . . the latest version of the Deep State. https://t.co/dkQhYb9MMM
— John Weaver (@jwgop) May 6, 2020
If anything, we should be wary of efforts to minimize the numbers:
-Florida stopped releasing deaths compiled by medical examiners that are higher than the state’s published count
-Florida removed data showing 171 cases in Jan. & Feb.
-Arizona is stopping #COVID19 modeling https://t.co/D54Do4Evf5
— Chris Lu (@ChrisLu44) May 6, 2020
"Grab 'em by the pu$$y."
"Russia, if you're listening."
"Very fine people."
"No collusion."
"I need a favor, though."
"It will all just go away."
"I bear no responsibility."
— Mieke Eoyang (@MiekeEoyang) May 6, 2020
The COVID death truthers are coming (sigh) https://t.co/OTj8cxeCWJ
— Brendan Nyhan (@BrendanNyhan) May 6, 2020
Can envision a similar sort of trutherism re: the unemployment numbers… https://t.co/9WPLbcxvkt
— Eli Stokols (@EliStokols) May 6, 2020
Trump is becoming a coronavirus death truther. because of course. By all accounts, the death toll is actually higher than reported. https://t.co/9D6at3VTja
— Emily C. Singer (@CahnEmily) May 6, 2020
This, from the guy who thinks windmills cause cancer. https://t.co/XJshS05caM
— OUFENIX (D) 🦚 (@oufenix) May 6, 2020

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