The assertions regarding a video of former United States President Donald Trump linked to monkeypox (mpox) circulating on social media platforms are misleading. This issue came to light following the World Health Organization’s (WHO) declaration on August 14, 2023, categorizing outbreaks of mpox in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and other African regions as a global health emergency. Confirmed cases of mpox have emerged in 13 countries, with a noted increase of 160% since the previous year and a 19% rise in mortality rates, totaling over 14,000 cases and 524 deaths as reported by various media outlets.
In the aftermath of the WHO’s announcement, social media users began sharing a video featuring Mr. Trump, wherein he purportedly discusses lockdowns, electoral fraud, and mpox. The posts, disseminated across multiple accounts on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), included captions suggesting that Mr. Trump was alerting the public to the dangers of the new disease while linking it to leftist “hysteria” for additional lockdowns.
In the video, Mr. Trump states, “the goal seems clear: to stir up COVID hysteria in order to justify increased lockdowns, censorship, questionable voting methods, expansion of mail-in voting, and significant financial favors for political allies ahead of the 2024 elections.” He also implies that there was manipulation during the 2020 elections related to lockdown measures and suggests that a repeat of such actions is possible in the upcoming elections.
Despite gaining substantial attention, with nearly half a million views, it is essential to clarify that the original statements made by Mr. Trump are not related to mpox and are not contemporary. Investigative searches through Google and Yandex based on frames from the video reveal that these remarks were initially recorded on August 30, 2023, and shared on his accounts on Truth Social, X, and Instagram. The video is positioned as a denunciation of Democratic efforts to revive COVID-19 mandates before upcoming elections, suggesting a uniform intent to debunk perceived governmental overreach.
Moreover, a previous fact-check conducted by USA TODAY on May 16, 2023, indicated that the same video had previously been employed to mislead viewers about the purported attempts of Democrats to utilize avian flu for electoral manipulation.
Consequently, these recent social media posts have been deemed misleading. Evidence indicates that users have distorted Mr. Trump’s speech regarding potential electoral fraud intertwined with COVID-19 lockdowns; at no point does he mention mpox. Given that this is a recording from 2023, it bears no connection to the newly declared health emergency of mpox by the WHO in August 2024. It is prudent for the public to approach such information with discernment, ensuring the integrity of discourse surrounding health emergencies and electoral processes.
Leave a Reply