1) THREAD: To dunk on @realDonaldTrump, @CNN is now fact-checking things he never said. I analyzed a fact-check where they claimed he lied about COVID-19 testing levels. As I explain in this article for @TheBlaze, they are wrong on several counts.
theblaze.com/news/cnn_bogus…
theblaze.com/news/cnn_bogus…
2) As @CNN's @KateBennett_DC points out, the network ran this chyron during the coronavirus taskforce briefing yesterday. It's highly misleading. Trump NEVER said the U.S. leads the world in testing on a per capita basis and CNN knows this.
3) As @CNN's own fact-checkers noted, the US has performed more tests than South Korea, which is what Trump has been saying at his press conferences and on Twitter. This is indisputable. 
4) The Korean CDC has said they have performed 387,925 COVID-19 tests through March 28.
As of this morning, the US had performed 730,799 COVID-19 tests (including cases with pending results).
So yes, Trump is correct. We have performed more tests than they have.
As of this morning, the US had performed 730,799 COVID-19 tests (including cases with pending results).
So yes, Trump is correct. We have performed more tests than they have.
5) The US is also now testing at a faster rate than South Korea. For instance, on March 26, Korea performed 12,019 tests (235 p 1 million) while the US performed 107,172 (325 tests p 1 million).
6) The US has tested 2,211 p/1 million for COVID with levels varying by state:
NY has tested 7,459 per 1M (a bit more than Korea).
If WA (6,994), LA (4,583), MA (4,257) and NM (4,481) were countries, they'd also be world leaders in testing, surpassing several large countries.
NY has tested 7,459 per 1M (a bit more than Korea).
If WA (6,994), LA (4,583), MA (4,257) and NM (4,481) were countries, they'd also be world leaders in testing, surpassing several large countries.
7) If @CNN wants to cite per-capita data for context, ok, but under their "fact-check" standard their headline below is wrong since the US doesn't lead the world in confirmed cases per capita.
Of course, two things can be true at once...
Of course, two things can be true at once...
8) The US has the most known coronavirus cases in absolute terms (no one thinks China's numbers are accurate), but not on a per capita basis.
@CNN shouldn't change its standard depending on whether the headline hurts Trump politically or fact-check things he never said. (END)
@CNN shouldn't change its standard depending on whether the headline hurts Trump politically or fact-check things he never said. (END)
