US President Donald Trump describes 100,000 coronavirus deaths in the US a "very sad milestone." The figure accounts for over 28% COVID-19 deaths worldwide.
“To all of the families & friends of those who have passed, I want to extend my heartfelt sympathy & love for everything that these great people stood for & represent. God be with you!,” Trump tweeted.
There were at least 100,442 official coronavirus deaths reported in the US when Trump tweeted about it. Meanwhile, there are about 1.7 million confirmed coronavirus cases in the country.
According to a White House spokesman a day earlier, “President Trump’s prayers for comfort and strength are with all of those grieving the loss of a loved one or friend as a result of this unprecedented plague, and his message to this great Nation remains one of resilience, hope and optimism.”
“The American people have always been strong and resilient, and the President is proud of their spirit, courage and determination every single day to defeat this virus,” the spokesman said.
Trump only tweeted about it on Thursday. On Wednesday, when the 100,000 mark was hit, the president had a retweet of a Fox Business host who described him “arguably the greatest president in history."
He also published a post about the illegal investigation into his 2016 presidential campaign. He also criticized “Big Tech” in a tweet.
Coronavirus in the US
Meanwhile, Joe Biden, the former vice president and the presumptive 2020 Democratic presidential nominee, posted a video Wednesday about the 100,000 milestone.
“For all of you who are hurting so badly, I’m so sorry for your loss,” Biden said. “This nation grieves with you. Take some solace from the fact we all grieve with you.”
Trump previously downplayed the risk of the coronavirus in the US and continued dismissing the threats into March, just before the coronavirus pandemic started spreading.
“No, not at all,” Trump responded to “Squawk Box” co-host Joe Kernen when he asked if the outbreak in China would develop into a “pandemic.”
“It’s going to be just fine,” Trump said in that January 22 interview on CNBC. “We have it totally under control.”
Twitter controversy
Trump, known for his controversial tweets, signed an executive order aimed at targeting censorship by social media platforms. This came after Twitter fact-checked the president’s tweets.
Trump’s executive order targets social media firms granted liability protection through Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. According to the statutes, social media companies cannot be sued for the content posted by users on their platforms.
The order would urge the Federal Trade Commission to respond to companies that participate in “deceptive” acts of communication The Commission would also create a working group of state attorneys general to assess other related state laws.
The executive order was signed two days after Twitter, placed warning links on two of Trump’s tweets. The social media firm encourages readers to “get the facts.”
Trump’s tweets unleashed several claims about state-led mail-in voting services. The labels from Twitter would lead users to a page assigning Trump’s statements as “unsubstantiated.”
“Trump falsely claimed that mail-in ballots would lead to ‘a Rigged Election.’ However, fact-checkers say there is no evidence that mail-in ballots are linked to voter fraud,” Twitter’s fact-checking page said, as reported by CNN, The Washington Post and other news outlets.
