Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

Demovictory9

(32,320 posts)
Sat Mar 28, 2020, 04:27 PM Mar 2020

Medical Expert Who Corrects Trump Is Now a Target of the Far Right

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/28/technology/coronavirus-fauci-trump-conspiracy-target.html?action=click&module=Spotlight&pgtype=Homepage

Medical Expert Who Corrects Trump Is Now a Target of the Far Right
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the administration’s most outspoken advocate of emergency virus measures, faces a torrent of false claims that he is mobilizing to undermine the president.

At a White House briefing on the coronavirus on March 20, President Trump called the State Department the “Deep State Department.” Behind him, Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, dropped his head and rubbed his forehead.

?quality=90&auto=webp

Some thought Dr. Fauci was slighting the president, leading to a vitriolic online reaction. On Twitter and Facebook, a post that falsely claimed he was part of a secret cabal who opposed Mr. Trump was soon shared thousands of times, reaching roughly 1.5 million people.

A week later, Dr. Fauci — the administration’s most outspoken advocate of emergency measures to fight the coronavirus outbreak — has become the target of an online conspiracy theory that he is mobilizing to undermine the president.

That fanciful claim has spread across social media, fanned by a right-wing chorus of Mr. Trump’s supporters, even as Dr. Fauci has won a public following for his willingness to contradict the president and correct falsehoods and overly rosy pronouncements about containing the virus.

An analysis by The New York Times found over 70 accounts on Twitter that have promoted the hashtag #FauciFraud, with some tweeting as frequently as 795 times a day. The anti-Fauci sentiment is being reinforced by posts from Tom Fitton, the president of Judicial Watch, a conservative group; Bill Mitchell, host of the far-right online talk show “YourVoice America”; and other outspoken Trump supporters such as Shiva Ayyadurai, who has falsely claimed to be the inventor of email.

Many of the anti-Fauci posts, some of which pointed to a seven-year-old email that Dr. Fauci had sent praising Hillary Clinton when she was secretary of State, have been retweeted thousands of times. On YouTube, conspiracy-theory videos about Dr. Fauci have racked up hundreds of thousands of views in the past week. In private Facebook groups, posts disparaging him have also been shared hundreds of times and liked by thousands of people, according to the Times analysis.

One anti-Fauci tweet on Tuesday said, “Sorry liberals but we don’t trust Dr. Anthony Fauci.”
6 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Medical Expert Who Corrects Trump Is Now a Target of the Far Right (Original Post) Demovictory9 Mar 2020 OP
Putin's trolls have been active as well dalton99a Mar 2020 #1
This is insane. green88 Mar 2020 #2
Idiots. Fauci has been one of the most respected voices out there. If these people are so ... SWBTATTReg Mar 2020 #3
Let them proceed malaise Mar 2020 #5
I wholehearted agree w/ you. SWBTATTReg Mar 2020 #6
they can't bust up this country soon enough... stillcool Mar 2020 #4

SWBTATTReg

(21,856 posts)
3. Idiots. Fauci has been one of the most respected voices out there. If these people are so ...
Sat Mar 28, 2020, 04:34 PM
Mar 2020

concerned, then perhaps they should be on the front lines along w/ Dr. Fauci, who is probably facing some pretty daunting challenges, let alone these idiots and rump. Screw them and the high horse they rode in on.

malaise

(267,796 posts)
5. Let them proceed
Sat Mar 28, 2020, 04:54 PM
Mar 2020

ReTHUGs will be wiped out come November - I want the Con in prison - there is neither peace nor tranquility

Latest Discussions»General Discussion»Medical Expert Who Correc...