Twitter flags Donald Trump tweet as 'misleading' after US President claims he is 'immune' from Covid-19

AP
Luke O'Reilly11 October 2020

Twitter has flagged a tweet by US President Donald Trump as 'misleading' after the President claimed he was immune from Covid-19.

The social media platform said the tweet violated the social media platform's rules about misleading information related to the virus.

"A total and complete sign off from White House Doctors yesterday. That means I can't get it (immune), and can't give it. Very nice to know," Trump said in the tweet.

The post was flagged by Twitter with a disclaimer.

President Donald Trump takes off his face mask as he comes out on a White House balcony to speak to supporters gathered on the South Lawn
REUTERS

"This Tweet violated the Twitter Rules about spreading misleading and potentially harmful information related to Covid-19," Twitter's disclaimer read, adding that it had determined that it may be in the public's interest for the tweet to remain accessible.

A Twitter spokeswoman told Reuters that the tweet made "misleading health claims" about Covid-19 and that engagements with the post would be "significantly limited," as is standard in such cases.

Mr Trump said on Sunday he had fully recovered from Covid-19 and would not be a transmission risk to others, freeing him to return to holding big campaign rallies during the final weeks of the race for the White House.

President Trump invited over two thousand guests to hear him speak just a week after he was hospitalised
Getty Images

The president first announced that he had had a positive coronavirus test on October 2. Trump's physician said on Saturday the president had taken a test showing he was no longer infectious.

The scientific evidence is unclear on how long people who have recovered from Covid-19 have antibodies and are protected from a second infection.

Mr Trump, who is trailing Democrat Joe Biden in opinion polls ahead of the November 3 election, is eager to get back on the campaign trail after an absence of more than a week.

He plans to travel to the key battleground state of Florida on Monday, followed by rallies in Pennsylvania and Iowa on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively.

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