Facebook removes Trump post falsely saying flu is more deadly than COVID-19

Facebook on Tuesday removed a post from U.S. President Donald Trump in which he falsely claimed that COVID-19 is less deadly than the seasonal flu.

Facebook spokesperson Andy Stone confirmed the company removed the post for breaking its rules on COVID-19 misinformation.

Trump has, by his own admission, played down the threat of COVID-19. Now, while battling his own bout of the disease, he has continued to dishonestly downplay the severity of the virus.

His post on Tuesday falsely equated COVID-19 to the seasonal flu.

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The president also posted the same message on Twitter. That post is still live, but Twitter has appended a message to the Tweet stating it violated the company's rule on spreading misleading information related to COVID-19.

In August, Facebook and Twitter removed a post by Trump for containing false claims about COVID-19. The post contained a video of President during a Fox News interview in which he falsely claimed that children are "almost immune" to the virus.

Flu season is coming up! Many people every year, sometimes over 100,000, and despite the Vaccine, die from the Flu. Are we going to close down our Country? No, we have learned to live with it, just like we are learning to live with Covid, in most populations far less lethal!!!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 6, 2020

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  President Donald Trump waves from the Blue Room Balcony upon returning to the White House Monday, Oct. 5, 2020, in Washington, after leaving Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, in Bethesda, Md. Trump announced he tested positive for COVID-19 on Oct. 2. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)