Oct 11, 2020 - Politics & Policy

Twitter flags misleading Trump tweet claiming he's "immune" from COVID-19

Illustration of a sad, sweating Twitter bird logo.

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

Twitter flagged a tweet from President Trump on Sunday morning in which he claimed, without evidence, that he is now "immune" to the coronavirus.

Why it matters: Trump continues to be one of the most prominent sources of coronavirus misinformation, eight months into the pandemic.

Details: While Trump's doctors have said that he is no longer transmitting the virus, they have not said when the president's last negative test was.

  • The science on immunity for people who recover from the virus is still unclear.
  • The CDC says a person infected with COVID-19 may not need to get tested again in the three months after recovery, but it "does not imply a person is immune to reinfection."

Background: Trump has repeatedly claimed that he is now immune to the coronavirus, saying the same in an interview with Fox News' Maria Bartiromo earlier on Sunday.

  • Back in May, Twitter stated they would flag coronavirus-related tweets by "anyone sharing misleading information that meets the requirements of our policy, including world leaders."
Screenshot: Twitter

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