Joe Biden Says Coronavirus Misinformation on Social Media Is ‘Killing People’

While answering a question from reporters at the White House Friday, President Joe Biden said that social media platforms that have allowed misinformation about the Chinese coronavirus vaccine are “killing people.”

Biden was asked by a reporter what his “message” would be to “platforms like Facebook.”

The president said, “They’re killing people.”

“Look, the only pandemic we have is among the unvaccinated, and they’re killing people,” Biden continued.

Watch:

Reporter: "On Covid misinformation, what's your message to platforms like Facebook?"

Biden: "They're killing people" pic.twitter.com/SsSksFzytZ

— Bloomberg Quicktake (@Quicktake) July 16, 2021

Biden’s comments come after the White House previously called for social media networks to help “purge” the posts that have incorrect information about the pandemic, in addition to posts that are discouraging people from taking the vaccine.

Breitbart News reported on Thursday White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki had admitted that the Biden administration has been identifying posts to Facebook that have contained what they consider to be “misinformation” about the vaccine for the Chinese coronavirus.

Psaki went as far as to say the administration is in “regular touch.” She told reporters during the briefing:

We are in regular touch with the social media platforms and those engagements typically happen through members of our senior staff and also members of our COVID-19 team. This is a big issue, of misinformation, specifically on the pandemic.

“We’ve increased disinformation research and tracking within the Surgeon General’s Office. We are flagging problematic posts for Facebook that spread disinformation,” Psaki noted.

Surgeon General Vivek Murthy also spoke during the briefing. He also urged social media companies to crack down on the alleged misinformation being spread about the Chinese coronavirus pandemic and vaccines.

“Health misinformation has led people to resist wearing masks in high-risk settings. It’s led them to turn down proven treatments and to choose not to get vaccinated. This has led to avoidable illnesses and deaths,” Murthy claimed.