Tag: Fox News

Trump just made these 2 bogus claims during Fox News’ coronavirus townhall. Here are the facts

AlterNet logoAt a Fox News townhall even on Tuesday, President Donald Trump addressed the coronavirus pandemic — and made two misleading claims that are being panned on social media.

In discussion with Fox News’ Bill Hemmer, Trump claimed he never described coronavirus testing as “perfect.” Asked by Hemmer why, in late February, he did just that, Trump responded that he was talking about his July 25 phone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky; Trump has also used the word “perfect” to describe that conversation, which led to his impeachment. But let’s check the transcript:

Olivier Knox, on Twitter, wrote, “Good question from Fox News’ Hemmer to Trump about why he called testing “perfect” in late February. Trump says he was talking about his call with the Ukrainian leader.” Continue reading.

Here’s the disturbing Fox News clip that appears to have triggered one of Trump’s most dangerous tweets yet

AlterNet logoWhile the idea of social distancing as the best way to fight coronavirus pandemic has slowly been catching on, President Donald Trump appears to be on course to undermine all that, based on a truly frightening tweet he sent late Sunday night:

Donald J. Trump

✔@realDonaldTrump

WE CANNOT LET THE CURE BE WORSE THAN THE PROBLEM ITSELF. AT THE END OF THE 15 DAY PERIOD, WE WILL MAKE A DECISION AS TO WHICH WAY WE WANT TO GO!

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The suggestion seemed to be that Trump wants to soon roll back the administration’s recommendations that Americans across the country strictly limit their in-person interactions with others outside of their homes. These recommendations have been superseded in many jurisdictions by stay-at-home orders, school closures, business closures, and limitations on the size of social gatherings. But if the Trump administration decides to advocate an end to social distancing, some localities may be inclined to follow suit — even though public health experts have warned that a premature cessation of the policy would be extremely dangerous. Continue reading.

Damning supercut lays bare Fox News’ dangerous hypocrisy on coronavirus

AlterNet logoOf all the shameful things that Fox News has done over the years, its most blatantly irresponsible might very well be the weeks its hosts spent claiming that coronavirus wasn’t nearly as dangerous as liberals in the media were making it out to be and that Democrats exaggerated the threat in order to attack President Donald Trump. But Fox News, like Trump himself, has changed its tone — finally acknowledging the severity of coronavirus. And a video by the Washington Post, titled “How Fox’s Coronavirus Has Shifted,” shows how dramatic the change has been.

As of Wednesday morning, March 18, the coronavirus pandemic has killed at least 8,205 people worldwide (according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore). In other words, coronavirus is every bit as deadly as health experts were warning back in January, February and early March, when Fox News’ opinion hosts were mocking them. The Washington Post’s video offers some highlights of Fox News’ reckless coronavirus denial.

For example, the video contrasts Fox News’ Trish Regan on March 9 compared to March 13. On March 9, Regan is seen insisting that those who were warning about the dangers of coronavirus “care very little for any of the destruction they were leaving in their wake” — whereas on March 13, Regan is seen warning that it is important to “test for the virus in order to stop the spread of it.” Moreover, Regan warns of “what could be a very great recession” because of coronavirus and even a “depression.” Continue reading.

 

On Fox News, suddenly a very different tune about the coronavirus

Washington Post logoFor weeks, some of Fox News’s most popular hosts downplayed the threat of the coronavirus, characterizing it as a conspiracy by media organizations and Democrats to undermine President Trump.

Fox News personalities such as Sean Hannity and Laura In­graham accused the news media of whipping up “mass hysteria” and being “panic pushers.” Fox Business host Trish Regan called the alleged media-Democratic alliance “yet another attempt to impeach the president.”

But that was then.

With Trump’s declaration on Friday that the virus constitutes a national emergency, the tone on Fox News has quickly shifted. Continue reading.

How Fox News Covers Coronavirus — And How It Covered Ebola

In the run-up to the 2014 midterm elections, cable news outlets — and Fox News in particular — fearmongered over an Ebola outbreak in Africa, before suddenly dropping the story after the votes were counted. Fox News figures pushed hard on the idea that President Barack Obama’s administration was inept at responding to a potential pandemic.

As America faces a coronavirus pandemic under President Donald Trump, many of those same people are now singing a different tune.

Fox News is spreading Trump’s coronavirus lies faster than the infection itself

AlterNet logoPresident Trump said that Russian interference in the 2016 election a hoax perpetrated by the Democrats to destroy his presidency. He claimed his impeachment was a Democratic hoax too and last week he said the coronavirus — or at least media coverage of the coronavirus — was one as well.

None of those were hoaxes. But that doesn’t mean hoaxes don’t exist. In fact, when it comes to the coronavirus crisis, disinformation, propaganda and hoaxes abound. Ironically, one of the sources is, you guessed it, Russia.

According to the Washington Post:

A top State Department official said Thursday that Russia is behind “swarms of online, false personas” that sought to spread misinformation about coronavirus on social-media sites, stressing the “entire ecosystem of Russian disinformation is at play.” …

The tweets themselves floated a number of harmful conspiracy theories — suggesting, for example, that the coronavirus had been created by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation or was the result of a bioweapon. Some of the tweets linked to YouTube videos, according to the State Department document, suggesting the problem went beyond Twitter

Continue reading.

Racist Fox News host blames Chinese people for coronavirus: ‘They eat raw bats and snakes’

AlterNet logoFox News’ Jesse Watters went after his favorite target Monday night: Chinese people. As host of the The Five, a show on which the cumulative intelligence of the panel adds up to the number 5, Watters used the coronavirus as a jumping-off point to demand an apology from China. For what? For the coronavirus, which causes COVID-19 disease. Watters is probably best known for his “Watters World” segments, during which he walks around making fun of people, and more specifically for the wildly racist episode in which he made fun of Chinese people in Chinatown, in a man-on-the-street sort of performance. On Monday night’s show, after the panel brought up Trump’s handling of public health concerns stemming from COVID19, Watters showed off some of his trademark racist humor.

Watters says, “I would just like to ask the Chinese for a formal apology. This coronavirus originated in China, and I have not heard one word from the Chinese. A simple ‘I am sorry’ would do.”

At this point, there is literally only one person laughing, while the rest look off into the studio, probably at a producer they know.  Continue reading.

Trump Lashes Out At Fox News Over New 2020 Poll

Donald Trump on Friday criticized Fox News for publishing a poll that shows every top-tier Democratic presidential contender would beat Trump if the election were held today.

In a tweet riddled with grammatical mistakes, Trump called on Fox News to get a new pollster — ostensibly one that would find better results for Trump.

“Worst Polls,” Trump tweeted, minutes after Fox News aired a segment about the poll. “Just like in 2016 when they were so far off the mark, are the @FoxNews Polls. Why doesn’t Fox finally get a competent Polling Company?” Continue reading.

Trump Gets Served A Brutal Fact-Check On Fox News After Griping About Bad Coverage

The president tried to blame Fox board member Paul Ryan for unfavorable coverage on the network.

President Donald Trump blasted Fox News on Thursday for giving airtime to a pundit who criticized his debate performances in 2016, and network host Neil Cavuto served Trump an unpleasant truth in return.

In her analysis of billionaire Michael Bloomberg’s poor performance at Wednesday night’s Democratic debate, A. B. Stoddard of RealClearPolitics told Cavuto on his show that even Trump’s “disastrous” and “cringeworthy” 2016 debate performances did not hold him back from the presidency.

In a tweet soon afterward, Trump attacked Stoddard for being a “Trump hater” with “zero talent” and called on somebody at Fox News to explain that “I won every one of my debates.” Continue reading.

Devin Nunes Mentioned Nude Trump Pics Again And People Have Questions

The California Republican just keeps bringing it up. Why?

Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) has once again mentioned hypothetical nude pictures of President Donald Trump and Twitter users are wondering just why the lawmaker ― a close Trump ally ― is so obsessed.

Nunes has repeatedly referred to the pics and did so again on Thursday night during an interview on Fox News:

Acyn Torabi@Acyn

Devin Nunes appears on Fox News to downplay today’s Russia news by talking about naked pictures of Trump

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Nunes, who is currently suing a parody cow account on Twitter, is likely referring to a phone call made to Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) by Russian pranksters, one of whom was posing as a member of the Ukrainian parliament. The pranksters claimed Russian President Vladimir Putin possessed compromising materials on Trump, including nude pictures. Continue reading.