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Headline Roundup April 24th, 2020

Trump Asks if Disinfectant, Sunlight can Treat Coronavirus

Summary from the AllSides News Team

During Thursday's White House press briefing, President Donald Trump asked a Homeland Security official if disinfectant or sunlight could be used as a direct treatment for the COVID-19 coronavirus. The discussion created an online uproar over possible coronavirus cures, and led critics to accuse Trump of pushing unregulated virus treatments. Many left-rated outlets framed Trump's comments as "suggestions", and tied the discussion to deaths associated with hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malaria drug previously touted by Trump as a potential treatment. Some right-rated outlets moved to put the statements in context, pushing back on the notion that Trump was making reckless suggestions while debunking false and misleading statements about the discussion. Other reporting outlets focused on major cleaning supply companies like Lysol urging people not to use their products as medicine.

Featured Coverage of this Story

Lysol maker issues warning against injections of disinfectant after Trump comments
Lysol maker issues warning against injections of disinfectant after Trump comments

The Hill

News

Lysol manufacturer Reckitt Benckiser (RB) on Friday issued a warning that “under no circumstance” should its products be administered into the human body or be used as a treatment for coronavirus, a day after President Trump discussed whether disinfectants could be used to treat the disease.

The company, which also sells Dettol in the United Kingdom, shared in a statement on its website that “due to recent speculation and social media activity,” they had “been asked whether internal administration of disinfectants may be appropriate for investigation or use as a...

Open on The Hill
No, Trump Did Not Tell People To ‘Inject Themselves With Disinfectant’ Or ‘Drink Bleach’
No, Trump Did Not Tell People To ‘Inject Themselves With Disinfectant’ Or ‘Drink Bleach’

The Daily Wire

Fact Check

Left-wing activists made multiple false and misleading claims on Thursday following President Donald Trump’s White House Coronavirus Task Force press briefing in which the president commented on new scientific findings from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

The activists falsely claimed that Trump “urged Americans to inject themselves with disinfectant” and “told people to drink bleach.”

To understand Trump’s remarks, it’s important to first understand the full context of what was said at the press briefing.

Bill Bryan, Under Secretary for Science and Technology at DHS, said at the press...

Open on The Daily Wire
Trump suggests 'injection' of disinfectant to beat coronavirus and 'clean' the lungs
Trump suggests 'injection' of disinfectant to beat coronavirus and 'clean' the lungs

NBC News Digital

News

President Donald Trump suggested the possibility of an "injection" of disinfectant into a person infected with the coronavirus as a deterrent to the virus during his daily briefing Thursday.

Trump made the remark after Bill Bryan, who leads the Department of Homeland Security's science and technology division, gave a presentation on research his team has conducted that shows that the virus doesn't live as long in warmer and more humid temperatures. Bryan said, "The virus dies quickest in sunlight," leaving Trump to wonder whether you could bring the light "inside...

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