CNN reported, “Due to COVID-19, President Donald Trump passes away at 74.”
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President Donald Trump speaks during an NBC News Town Hall, at Perez Art Museum Miami, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2020, in Miami. (AP)
No, Donald Trump didn’t die from COVID-19
An Instagram post spreading on social media claims that President Donald Trump is dead, but that’s wrong.
"Due to COVID-19, President Donald Trump passes away at 74," reads what looks like a screenshot of a CNN tweet. It was posted on Instagram on Oct. 12.
Since then, of course, Trump has tweeted and appeared in public. On Oct. 15, he participated in a televised town hall.
This post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)
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While Donald Trump sought treatment for his COVID-19 diagnosis at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, he left the hospital on Oct. 5 and has been campaigning since. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told the health news website STAT that the president "did not suffer any significant consequences" from COVID-19, according to an Oct. 13 story.
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We didn’t find any evidence that CNN ever tweeted that Trump died.
Searching for the tweet on Twitter, we found an identical Oct. 9 tweet that similarly uses the Fox News logo, but the account is not actually Fox News; it’s @foxnewes.
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Our Sources
Instagram post, Oct. 12, 2020
Tweet, Oct. 9, 2020
The New York Times, Highlights and key moments from Trump and Biden town halls, Oct. 15, 2020
The New York Times, Trump leaves hospital, minimizing virus and urging Americans ‘Don’t let it dominate your lives,’ Oct. 5, 2020
STAT, Fauci: Trump’s praid recovery from COVID-19, while welcome, ‘amplifies’ public misunderstanding of disease, Oct. 13, 2020
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No, Donald Trump didn’t die from COVID-19
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