Former Vice President Joe Biden (D) is urging President Donald Trump to stop sharing uncorroborated claims about the coronavirus on Twitter and to take more action to fight the outbreak.
“The bottom line [is] we have to listen to public health experts follow the science,” Biden said during a virtual event on Wednesday. “Parents have to be able to trust that their kids are safe, or they’re not going to send them back.”
“President Trump should stop tweeting and start doing something about it, damn it,” he added.
He blasted Trump for sharing a video of Houston doctor, Stella Immanuel, and others who said that hydroxychloroquine is a cure for COVID-19.
“Stop talking about this crazy woman he talked about last night who’s an absolute disgrace,” Biden said.
Watch the video below:
Biden on reopening schools: "Parents have to be able to trust that their kids are safe or they're not going to send them back. President Trump should stop tweeting and start doing something about it, damn it."
— American Journal News (@AmerJournalNews) July 29, 2020
Biden also slams Trump for pushing the conspiracy doctor video. pic.twitter.com/RhULJT7qh2
That claim runs contrary to the advice of Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, who said the anti-malarial drug is “not effective” in treating the virus, as IJR reported.
During an interview on MSNBC, Fauci said, “You look at the scientific data and the evidence and the scientific data, the cumulative data on trials, clinical trials that were valid, namely critical trials that were randomized and controlled in the proper way. All of those trials show consistently that hydroxychloroquine is not effective in the treatment of coronavirus disease or COVID-19.”
Fauci also addressed the claims made in the video, “When there’s a video out there for a bunch of people spouting something that isn’t true, the only recourse you have is to be very, very clear in presenting the scientific data that essentially contradicts that.”
In the video, a woman who says she is a doctor said, “This virus has a cure, it’s called hydroxychloroquine, zinc, and Zithromax.”
“You don’t need masks, there is a cure,” she added.
On Tuesday, Trump defended his decision to share the video, “I think they’re very respected doctors.”
“There was a woman who was spectacular in her statements about it,” he added.
As the video began to circulate, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube moved to take it down from platforms as the companies argued it was promoting false information about cures for COVID-19.
In a statement, Facebook said it took down the video because it contained “false information about cures and treatments for COVID-19.”
Trump’s oldest son, Donald Trump Jr., shared the video on his account, which led the platform to temporarily suspend some features of his account, as IJR reported.