President Donald Trump lashed out at the media for its coverage of the coronavirus Wednesday, days after the Center for Disease Control said the potential public health threat posed by COVID-19 is high in the United States. The virus has already killed several thousand people abroad and affected thousands of others.
He tweeted an attack on MSNBC and CNN that misspelled “coronavirus” Wednesday morning: “Low Ratings Fake News MSDNC (Comcast) & @CNN are doing everything possible to make the Caronavirus look as bad as possible, including panicking markets, if possible. Likewise their incompetent Do Nothing Democrat comrades are all talk, no action. USA in great shape! @CDCgov…..”
He added he plans to host a news conference on the coronavirus at 6 p.m. ET along with representatives of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
CNN and MSNBC did not immediately respond to requests for comment about being blamed for “panicking markets.” On Wednesday, U.S. stocks turned even lower as investors continued to assess the impact of the epidemic.
Globally, more than 80,000 coronavirus cases have been confirmed, according to The New York Times, and nearly 3,000 people have died because of it. Outbreaks in Italy, Iran and South Korea this week have exacerbated fears the virus is continuing to spread. Those fears have also contributed to a stock market decline in the last few days.
Facebook’s stock, for instance, has dropped from about $215 to $199 per share in the last five days, and that company has committed to removing any ads claiming to offer a cure for coronavirus.