coronavirus fact check

"When somebody's the president of the United States, the authority is total," President Trump said on Monday.

Politics & Government

FACT CHECK: Trump Doesn't Have The Authority To Order States To 'Reopen'

4:19pm April 14, 2020

by Brian Naylor

The president claimed "total" authority, per unnamed constitutional provisions. Experts remind him he is not a king, and cite Articles I, II, III; the 10th Amendment; and the Founding Fathers.

President Trump speaks during the daily briefing on the novel coronavirus this week.

Setting The Record Straight In Another Week Of Trump And Coronavirus

11:05am April 04, 2020

by Domenico Montanaro

There are lots of questions about the novel coronavirus that we try to answer, including whether we should wear masks, if the U.S. is testing enough and if there's a drug that can treat COVID-19.

Medical staff in Marseille, France show packets of a Nivaquine, tablets containing chloroquine and Plaqueril, tablets containing hydroxychloroquine.

FACT CHECK: Premature — Trump Continues To Claim Drug Can Treat Coronavirus

10:11pm April 03, 2020

by Dan Charles

Lab studies have shown hydroxychloroquine has blocked the coronavirus from entering cells, but scientists have not reported results yet of whether it can work as a treatment.

President Trump speaks during the daily briefing Friday on the novel coronavirus.

Medicare For All Coronavirus Patients? But Who Exactly Qualifies?

9:20pm April 03, 2020

by Dan Charles

The Trump administration decided against opening special window for Affordable Care Act sign ups. "It's like they're twisting themselves into pretzels to avoid anything" Obamacare, said one.

Health care professionals prepare to screen people for the coronavirus at a testing site in Phoenix, Arizona.

FACT CHECK: Trump Claims U.S. Testing For Coronavirus Most Per Capita — It's Not

9:54pm April 02, 2020

During his briefing with the coronavirus task force on Thursday, President Trump once again inaccurately described the per capita testing within the United States.

Medical staff move bodies from the Wyckoff Heights Medical Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., Thursday to a refrigerated truck.

FACT CHECK: Money-To-Hospitals Plan To Treat Coronavirus Patients Could Face Problems

9:01pm April 02, 2020

by Dan Charles

Instead of reopening health care exchanges for those who don't qualify for Medicaid and don't have employer-based insurance, Trump is proposing paying hospitals directly. But it might not be enough.

President Trump speaks during a coronavirus task force press briefing on March 29.

FACT CHECK: Trump Pushes Tax Break To Boost Restaurants, But Would It Actually Help?

3:45pm April 02, 2020

by Ayesha Rascoe

The coronavirus has hit restaurants hard, but President Trump's proposal to let businesses write off meals is not the answer, critics say. Plus, Trump's own tax law eliminated the tax break.

Cars cross 42th Street as rain falls on New York City. President Trump considered, and then dropped, a proposed quarantine of New York state, New Jersey and parts of Connecticut.

Fact Check: A Blanket National Quarantine Is Likely Not Legal

3:42pm April 02, 2020

by Brian Naylor

President Trump floated ordering a quarantine in the Northeast, and there are calls for a national stay-at-home order. But the president's powers are limited.

Defense Secretary Mark Esper speaks about the coronavirus in the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House on Wednesday.

FACT CHECK: Defense Chief Exaggerates Criticism Of Military In Fighting Coronavirus

11:39pm April 01, 2020

by Bobby Allyn

In describing the steps the military is taking to confront the pandemic, Defense Secretary Mark Esper claimed some are calling for the entire U.S. military to cease operations. But that's not true.

FACT CHECK: Should People Cover Their Faces With Scarves Like Trump Said?

10:44pm March 31, 2020

by Barbara Sprunt

In a briefing with the coronavirus task force, President Trump answered a question about a supply shortage of masks by suggesting that the public wear scarves instead.