Fact-checking what Trump actually said about disinfectant

During the White House coronavirus press briefing on April 23, President Donald Trump set off a firestorm of mudslinging and misinformation when he inquired about possibly using disinfectant to treat people with COVID-19.

Fact checkers were all over the place after Trump made the comments, which followed Department of Homeland Security undersecretary William Bryan’s description of recent government tests that found sunlight and disinfectant to be effective in eliminating the virus.

Bottom line: Trump never said that people should inject or drink disinfectant. Headlines, social media posts and news coverage suggesting that he did are false or misleading.

However, Trump did ask if there is something we can do that is similar to using a disinfectant that kills COVID-19 quickly, “like injection inside or almost a cleaning?” Many interpreted that question as a major problem, and some in the media equated it to a recommendation or encouragement for people to inject or ingest disinfectant.