With so many news sources and so many people reporting the news, it is nearly impossible to separate the correct news from the “fake news.” Most commonly, fake news originates from social media, especially Twitter, but can also be seen across many of President Donald Trump’s statements as he informs the public of the current coronavirus situation.
On March 6th, at the beginning of the spread of coronavirus in the United States, President Trump said, “Anybody that wants a test can get a test. That's what the bottom line is." However, at the time of the tweet, this was far from the truth.
Americans needed to get a doctors approval to get tested for COVID-19, and more than that, even people who were able to get a doctor’s authorization were not able to get a test. This was due to a lack of proper testing equipment made available from the government.
Trump’s motivation for this statement could be to provide an illusion of calmness to his supporters with the upcoming election. His ultimate goal is to gain reelection, and if he sends everyone into a panic, he will lose the support. However, this had consequences; due to a lack of proper emphasis on the deadliness of the virus, Trump led the United States to be the leading country in coronavirus cases to this day.
Find more fake news from Trump from this CNN article: https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/22/politics/fact-check-trump-coronavirus-false-claims-march/index.html
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