Fact check: Trump lies that he was being 'sarcastic' when he talked about injecting disinfectant

[Dennis Donovan]

https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/24/politics/fact-check-trump-disinfectant-sarcastic/index.html

By Daniel Dale

Updated 3:29 PM ET, Fri April 24, 2020

Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump lied Friday when he said he was being "sarcastic" when he asked medical experts on Thursday to look into the possibility of injecting disinfectant as a treatment for the coronavirus.

Doctors and the company that makes Lysol and Dettol warned that injecting or ingesting disinfectants is dangerous. But when Trump was asked about the comments during a bill signing on Friday, he said, "I was asking a question sarcastically to reporters like you just to see what would happen."

He then suggested he was talking about disinfectants that can safely be rubbed on people's hands. And then he returned to the sarcasm explanation, saying it was "a very sarcastic question to the reporters in the room about disinfectant on the inside."

A reporter noted that he had asked his medical experts to look into it. Trump responded: "No, no, no, no -- to look into whether or not sun and disinfectant on the hands, but whether or not sun can help us."

</snip>

[Solly Mack]

1. Pathetic, insecure blob of stupid.

[irisblue]

2. Good word choice. He lied

[SoonerPride]

6. Yes, it is about time. Call a lie a lie

He is a liar.

[hlthe2b]

3. I'm so glad CNN and Daniel Dale no longer dance around calling a lie a lie.

[underpants]

4. Daniel Dale is an excellent addition by CNN. HE instantly knows what Trump said

How full of shit it is AND the right wing sources that Trump is usually echoing.

The video don’t lie. It was all directed at Bryan.

[sinkingfeeling]

5. He's even a terrible liar.

[CatMor]

7. How could anyone with even half a brain believe that excuse.

[NCjack]

8. When "quack doctor" is being stupid, reporters should ask him if he is serious. nt

[Bernardo de La Paz]

9. His own PressSec McEnemy contradicts him:

https://www.businessinsider.com/kayleigh-mcenany-trump-lysol-comments-taken-out-of-context-2020-4

The White House press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, on Friday said the news media had taken President Donald Trump's statements on Thursday — when he said the US should investigate whether injecting disinfectant into people's bodies might cure COVID-19 — out of context to run negative stories.

"President Trump has repeatedly said that Americans should consult with medical doctors regarding coronavirus treatment, a point that he emphasized again during yesterdays' briefing," McEnany said in a statement. "Leave it to the media to irresponsibly take President Trump out of context and run with negative headlines."

[AleksS]

10. Does he know it was recorded?

I would have thought the cameras and microphones were clues...

[localroger]

11. Trump is used to getting away with it anyway

Think of the Access Hollywood tape. I have always thought a lot of Trump's behavior emerges from a habitual application of basic propaganda practices he probably learned in seminars when he was young. He was probably taught the PR is more powerful than the truth and that is a lesson that has been constantly reinforced for him as he has recast failure after failure as triumph. It probably mystifies him that it suddenly doesn't seem to be working, but part of it is that he just isn't as good at it as he used to be because he is losing the ability to retain and process new information. The stuff he's been doing for decades he can still do well, but reacting to something completely new like a pandemic disease is requiring him to process information that he's never seen before, and he just isn't able to do it reliably. But also being the Dunning-Kruger poster child, he doesn't realize that and still thinks that even if he isn't really the smartest person in the room he can bull it through by sheer force of will and his well tried propaganda habits.

[PSPS]

12. Another fact check: WH press corps just a bunch of over-paid stenographers

As anyone would do in real life, why didn't one "reporter" shout out, "You can't be serious!"

Trump would have gone ballistic and, after belittling the courageous person, "double down," as they like to say, and go on and on about how great an idea it is.

[handmade34]

13. he lies, people die