The White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, sparked controversy during a briefing on Thursday by spreading misinformation about former President Donald Trump’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. When asked about revelations that Trump sent COVID tests to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Jean-Pierre declined to comment, instead launching into a false narrative about Trump’s advice on combating the virus.
According to Jean-Pierre, Trump had instructed people to inject bleach, a claim that has been thoroughly debunked. However, the truth is that Trump never made such a suggestion. The controversy stems from a press briefing he held on April 23, 2020, where he wondered aloud about the potential use of sunlight and disinfectant chemicals to kill COVID-19 on surfaces.
Trump’s comments were taken out of context and manipulated by Democrats and their allies in the legacy media to create a false narrative. In reality, Trump was simply asking questions and exploring hypothetical scenarios, and he explicitly stated that he was not suggesting injecting disinfectants into people with COVID-19.
Despite this, the lie about Trump’s bleach comments spread quickly, with many people believing it to be true. Snopes and PolitiFact, fact-checking sites that are not known for their support of Trump, have both confirmed that Trump never suggested injecting bleach or disinfectants to combat COVID-19.
The origins of the lie can be traced back to Joe Biden, who made the false claim during his presidential campaign. Since then, Democrats and their allies in the media have repeated the lie, despite having no evidence to support it. The fact that Jean-Pierre, a member of the Biden administration, chose to perpetuate this lie is particularly noteworthy, given the administration’s stated goal of fighting disinformation.
The incident highlights the power of dishonesty and media bias in shaping public opinion. By manipulating facts and spreading misinformation, Democrats and their allies can create a false narrative that is difficult to correct. The legacy media’s role in advancing this lie is particularly egregious, as it demonstrates a clear bias towards promoting Democratic talking points over factual accuracy.
