During a coronavirus task force briefing in the White House last Thursday, Trump had an exchange with William Bryan, who works at the Department of Homeland Security as the head of the science and technology directorate.

Bryan's department presented the results of the study that sunlight, humidity, and temperature might be essential to reduce the rate of infection of the coronavirus. He also proposed that bleach and isopropyl alcohol could kill the virus in saliva or respiratory fluids.

Remark Taken Out of Context

The remark in question was: "I see the disinfectant where it knocks it out in a minute," Trump said.

He continued by asking if there was something similar that could be done safely for individuals to ingest to cleanse the system of the traces of the virus, referring to the bleach as a comparison.

He added, "...You're going to have to use medical doctors. But it sounds interesting to me."

"He likes to talk [new information] throughout and have that dialogue," Dr. Birx said in Watter's World. She was with the president at the briefing. 

While Trump has clarified, his comments were meant to be sarcastic; he did suggest further research into the study during the task force briefing.

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said that Saturday, the media was quick to irresponsibly take Trump out of context and "run a story with negative headlines."

She added that Trump repeatedly reminded people on television to consult with medical professionals about coronavirus treatment.

Trump's remark about injecting disinfectants sparked controversy on social media platforms and was a subject for sensationalism. 

Birx said that Trump was talking out loud as he was thinking since it was his first time hearing the results of the study.  "He was still digesting that information."

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Politicians Who Posted Misinformation

Earlier this month, Facebook and Instagram deleted a video posted by Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro, who not only announced an end to social distancing measures but also claimed that hydroxychloroquine was useful for the treatment of patients with COVID-19.

Brazil's Federal Council of Medicine, or otherwise known as CFM, released a caveat last March announcing there was nothing conclusive yet about the effectiveness of hydroxychloroquine for the treatment of COVID-19.

CFM President Mauro Luiz Britto Ribeiro added, "There is no perspective and randomized clinical trial, carried out by groups of respected researchers, published cutting-edge journals, pointing out any benefit from the use of hydroxychloroquine in the treatment."

Just recently, Bolsonaro has already thanked Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for permitting the exportation of raw materials to Brazil for hydroxychloroquine.

Another political leader who seemed to be misled by fake news was Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who was of the mind that some homemade "antidote" would "eliminate the infectious genes" of the coronavirus and announced it on his social media account.

Twitter management "censured" posts to reduce harm by spreading misinformation. They cited that it was for the public interest, adding on the blog that they would take down fake news in consideration of the pandemic.

Although the bases of this rapid and far-reaching misinformation are obscure, analysts suspect they originate from the same source because of key similarities.