New cases of the Coronavirus are spiking in many areas of the country. On Thursday, well over 55,000 new Coronavirus cases were reported across the U.S., which was yet another new record for the number of cases reported in a single day. President Donald Trump refuses to take the situation seriously — late Thursday night, he claimed on Twitter that there “is a rise in Coronavirus cases because our testing is so massive and so good, far bigger and better than any other country,” which is just not true. The following morning, on Friday, he tried to get people to focus on the stock market, although the stark rises in value it’s experienced recently were facilitated by dramatic falls amidst the pandemic.
Thursday night, he tweeted:
‘There is a rise in Coronavirus cases because our testing is so massive and so good, far bigger and better than any other country. This is great news, but even better news is that death, and the death rate, is DOWN. Also, younger people, who get better much easier and faster!’
There is a rise in Coronavirus cases because our testing is so massive and so good, far bigger and better than any other country. This is great news, but even better news is that death, and the death rate, is DOWN. Also, younger people, who get better much easier and faster!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 3, 2020
Although it’s true that the number of deaths is technically down, well over 600 deaths were reported on Thursday, which is still terrible. Many of the president’s other claims are not true. A rise in the number of tests being performed is not the sole driver of the new surge in cases. In some areas of the country, newly confirmed cases have been rising at a significantly faster rate than tests have been increasing. The portion of tests coming back positive has been increasing, and if the virus was contained, then as tests increase in number, the portion of them coming back positive should decrease. That’s not happening — instead, areas like Texas and Florida are facing huge positivity rates.
It’s worth noting — the U.S. testing regimen isn’t even as great as Trump claims. In terms of tests per capita, the U.S. is still led by countries like the U.K., Portugal, Spain, and others.
Friday morning, Trump tweeted:
‘NASDAQ HAD ITS 23RD RECORD CLOSE OF THE YEAR. OTHER EXCHANGES ARE FOLLOWING CLOSELY BEHIND. TREMENDOUS POTENTIAL REMAINING. BIG MONTHS UPCOMING. NEXT YEAR, DEPENDING ON AN ELECTION WIN, WILL BE ONE OF THE BEST EVER! @LouDobbs’
Tweeting in all caps about the stock market isn’t going to make Trump’s problems go away.
NASDAQ HAD ITS 23RD RECORD CLOSE OF THE YEAR. OTHER EXCHANGES ARE FOLLOWING CLOSELY BEHIND. TREMENDOUS POTENTIAL REMAINING. BIG MONTHS UPCOMING. NEXT YEAR, DEPENDING ON AN ELECTION WIN, WILL BE ONE OF THE BEST EVER! @LouDobbs
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 3, 2020
Check out more from the president:
He cannot pass the test I “aced”. He should give it a try!!! https://t.co/4U6pny2D6y
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 3, 2020
Actually, a must read. Really good! https://t.co/SM7xBuuwPe
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 3, 2020
Check out Twitter’s response below:
