The Woodward Tapes
Right Wing Media Vaccine Lies
Alternate Medication for COVID-19
FDA Free Speech Court Case
Slow Down Testing
Religious Exemptions
Mask Banning Laws
Committee on Oversight and Accountability
Project 2025 and COVID-19
COVID-19 and Vaccine Mistrust
During Donald Trump's administration, the response to the COVID-19 outbreak faced significant criticism for being neither timely nor effective, despite early warnings from health officials. The pandemic's emergence in early 2020 presented a crucial opportunity for the administration to implement robust public health measures, but many argue that the response was marred by delays, mixed messaging, and a lack of coordination.
Public Trust
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, became a prominent figure during the pandemic, often providing scientific guidance and updates on the virus. While Fauci aimed to communicate the severity of the situation and the importance of following public health guidelines, he faced intense pushback from some segments of the political landscape, including Trump and his allies. This discord not only undermined public trust but also contributed to the confusion surrounding COVID-19 measures.
Media Skepticism
Right-wing media played a pivotal role in shaping public perception of the virus and the vaccine. Instead of focusing on the urgency of the health crisis, many outlets promoted misinformation, downplaying the virus's severity while amplifying fears and skepticism about vaccine safety and efficacy. This approach created an environment where misinformation flourished, leading to hesitancy and resistance to vaccination among segments of the population.
Death Toll in America
As a result, the U.S. faced one of the highest death tolls in the world, with over 1.2 million Americans perishing due to the virus. The combination of ineffective leadership, conflicting messages, and a media landscape rife with misinformation significantly hampered the country’s ability to manage the pandemic effectively. This period not only highlighted systemic issues in public health response but also raised questions about the role of media and political rhetoric in shaping public health outcomes.
The Woodward Tapes
Bob Woodward was the journalist who reported on Nixon's Watergate scandal. The Woodward tapes show that Trump knew the dangers of COVID-19 but downplayed it, to prevent a panic. In the tapes, he even admits that it is more deadly than even the worst flus.
In 2017, Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), warned members of the incoming Trump administration in January 2017 about the inevitability of a surprise outbreak of a new disease.
The NEW Woodward Book - TRUMP gave Covid-19 kits to Russia instead of the people of the United States.
According to Woodward's upcoming book, War, book, Trump sent a secret shipment of testing equipment to the Russian leader at the height of the pandemic in 2020, even as the U.S. and other nations were facing crippling shortages of testing kits.
Trump and right-wing media spread lies about the vaccine
As vaccines became available, the discrepancy between “blue” and “red” counties became even larger.
- During the fourth wave of the pandemic, death rates in the most pro-Trump counties were about four times what they were in the most pro-Biden counties.
- Right wing media spread covid misinformation, such as COVID-19 vaccines causes infertility, COVID-19 is no worse than the flu, and masks don’t provide any protection against the virus
Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infections Diseases (NIAID) also said very controversial things about masks not working, mostly as a way to prevent people from panic buying the supply and leaving none for first responders.
Trump suggested alternate medication to cure COVID-19
Hydroxychloroquine
- He suggested Hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malarial drug, as a treatment of COVID-19, saying he himself takes it, when it actually increased deaths in patients treated with it in hospitals around the world.
Ivermectin
- He also pushed for Ivermectin, a drug primarily used to deworm animals. While it’s been referred to as a “wonder drug” for parasitic diseases, it has not shown the same results in studies against viruses. In fact, people were overdosing on the version of the drug made for livestock and winding up in the hospital.
Injecting Disinfectant
- Trump also suggested injecting disinfectant as a coronavirus cure
The FDA “lost” a court case where they agreed to take down its social media posts urging people to avoid the usage of ivermectin for COVID.
Facebook Moderation
- When Facebook attempted to take down private groups with tens of thousands of members selling, buying, and trading ivermectin, citing it prohibited the sale of prescription products, including drugs and pharmaceuticals, across its platforms, including in ads, many right-wing groups and individuals said it was a violation of their free speech.
FDA Tweet
- In August 2021, to discourage people from using ivermectin to prevent or treat Covid-19, the FDA tweeted “You are not a horse. You are not a cow. Serious y’all. Stop It.” and posted a similar message on Instagram. The tweet got nearly 106,000 likes.
Sovereign Immunity
Initially, the FDA claimed sovereign immunity, and a lower court judge in Texas dismissed the suit. The doctors appealed the case to the 5th Circuit, which reinstated the lawsuit last year, and its judges heard arguments (Feb 2024).
“Today’s settlement with the FDA is a major win for the doctor-patient relationship,” Marik said in the statement. “It vindicates our position that the FDA overstepped its regulatory authority by trying to dictate appropriate medical care.”
Trump said to slow down testing because it is showing more COVID-19 cases
Slow Testing Down
- Trump would also go onstage and admit that “Testing to that extent would bring on more cases” and to slow the testing down
Ron DeSantis interview with the Heritage Foundation (October 31, 2023)
- The Heritage foundation interviewed Ron DeSantis, who continued their rhetoric about “cleaning house” in the CDC, NIH, and FDA. He also mentions in this interview that when Florida had all the kids in school after 6-8 weeks, the data did not support the shutdowns. When in fact, the government of Ron DeSantis in Florida manipulated COVID-19 data to show falling deaths as fatalities were surging. He finally abandoned a two year legal battle to keep the data secret, and was forced to publish the data.
Fetal Cells and Religious Exemptions
Project 2025 link
In Project 2025 and portrayed by several right-wing media stations, there was misinformation about using aborted fetuses in vaccines.
“The CDC oversaw and funded the development and testing of the COVID-19 vaccines with aborted fetal cell lines, insensitive to the consciences of tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of people who objected to taking a vaccine with such a link to abortion. As evidenced by litigation across the country, it is likely that thousands were fired unjustly because of the exercise of their consciences or faith on this question, which could have been avoided with a modicum of concern for this issue from CDC. There is never any justification for ending a child’s life as part of research, and the research benefits from splicing or growing aborted fetal cells and aborted baby body parts can easily be provided by alternative sources. All such research should be prohibited as a matter of law and policy. (Project 2025 p. 455)
Nearly every modern medicine, including Tylenol, uses the descendants of fetal cell lines for testing. It's an unfortunate truth for those with religious and moral exemptions. These cell lines are NOT taken from recent abortions.
None of the COVID-19 vaccines contain fetal cells. Specifically, COMIRNATY and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines did not use a fetal cell line to manufacture their vaccine. However, a fetal cell line was used in early research efficacy of these vaccines.
The use of these fetal cell lines in research and/or production of vaccines and medication is not new. Some over-the-counter medications for which a historic fetal cell line was utilized in research and/or production and manufacturing include: Tylenol, Pepto Bismol, Aspirin, Tums, Senokot, Motrin, Maalox, Ex-Lax, Benadryl, Sudafed, Preparation H, Claritin, and others.
The only vaccines that used fetal cell lines to test was the J&J Vaccine and AstraZeneca.
These fetal cells were taken from elective terminations that occurred in the 1970s and 1980s and are used in other medical technologies. Fetal cells are used because:
- Fetal cells can divide many times and can be used longer than other cell types.
- Viruses that infect humans grow better in human cells than animal cells
- Fetal cells are stored at low temperatures, allowing the same cell line to be used from decades ago
- ONCE THE VIRUS IS GROWN, ANY CELLULAR DEBRIS IS REMOVED. VACCINES DO NOT CONTAIN FETAL CELLS.
The Real Reason behind Mask Banning
Force Gaza protestors to show their faces
North Carolina's legislature has passed a controversial law restricting public mask-wearing, overriding Governor Roy Cooper's veto. The Senate voted 30-14 along party lines to enact the law, which includes a medical exemption for masks but increases penalties for crimes committed while masked and for protesters blocking traffic.
The law was partly motivated by recent protests against the war in Gaza, prompting Republican lawmakers to claim it addresses public safety concerns. Critics argue that it could endanger immunocompromised individuals and stifle free speech, particularly during protests. Additionally, the law incorporates a provision allowing state political parties to accept unlimited contributions from federally registered committees, raising transparency concerns among Democrats.
Previous masking laws aimed to combat KKK activities, and the new legislation exempts masks worn for health, holiday costumes, or theatrical productions. Other states, like New York and Ohio, are also considering or enforcing similar restrictions on masks.
The NC Senate votes to ban people from wearing masks in public
The Committee on Oversight and Accountability
Why was it created?
The House Committee on Oversight and Accountability was founded to enhance oversight of federal government operations and ensure accountability. Its primary purpose is to investigate issues related to government efficiency, transparency, and effectiveness, focusing on how taxpayer money is spent. The committee has broad authority to conduct hearings, gather information, and oversee various government agencies, aiming to address concerns regarding waste, fraud, and abuse within the federal government. Additionally, it plays a key role in scrutinizing policies and actions taken by the executive branch, contributing to the checks and balances fundamental to the U.S. political system.
Fauci did NOT say:
That the 6 feet requirement did not help quell the spread of COVID-19. While the distance itself was arbitrary, being further away from an aerosol spray (i.e., someone's infected breath) will make it less likely for you to contract the virus.
That masks don't help. He reiterated that when worn properly and consistently they help, but masking children may have been ineffective.
Fauci denied suppressing COVID lab leak theory before US House panel. He claims to not have influenced research on the origins of the virus.
Takeaway from interview with Fauci:
The “6 feet apart” social distancing recommendation forced on Americans by federal health officials was arbitrary and not based on science.
Dr. Fauci testified that he did not recall any supporting evidence for masking children.
Dr. Fauci unequivocally agreed with EVERY travel restriction issued by the Trump Administration at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr. Fauci admitted that vaccine mandates during the COVID-19 pandemic could increase vaccine hesitancy in the future. He also claimed that these mandates were not sufficiently studied ahead of the pandemic.
Dr. Fauci acknowledged that the lab leak hypothesis is not a conspiracy theory.
Dr. Fauci repeatedly played semantics with the definition of “gain-of-function” research in an effort to avoid conceding that the NIH’s funded this dangerous research in China.
Dr. Fauci claimed that his staff had no conflicts of interest regarding the origins of COVID-19, yet his Senior Advisor — Dr. David Morens — was “best-friends” with disgraced and soon-to-be debarred EcoHealth Alliance President Dr. Peter Daszak.
Dr. Fauci testified that he signed off on every foreign and domestic NIAID grant without reviewing the proposals. He was also unable to confirm if NIAID has ANY mechanisms to conduct oversight of the foreign laboratories they fund.