Twitter has temporarily limited Donald Trump Jr.’s account after he posted a misleading video on the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine on Monday.
The social media giant said the president’s oldest son violated its COVID-19 misinformation policy.
He retweeted a video of Dr Stella Immanuel, who has made a number of baseless claims about coronavirus.
The video was created by right-wing media outlet Breitbart.
It depicts a group of people dressed in white lab coats — who call themselves “America’s Frontline Doctors” — staging a press conference outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C.
Immanuel has hailed hydroxychloroquine as a “cure” for coronavirus, even though the anti-malaria drug has not been found to be an effective treatment against the virus.
The Houston doctor also dismissed mounting evidence that face masks substantially help to limit the spread of coronavirus.
BREAKING: @Twitter & @jack have suspended @DonaldJTrumpJr for posting a viral video of medical doctors talking about Hydroxychloroquine.
Big Tech is the biggest threat to free expression in America today & they’re continuing to engage in open election interference – full stop. pic.twitter.com/7dJbauq43O
— Andrew Surabian (@Surabees) July 28, 2020
Specifically, his account was limited for “spreading misleading or potentially harmful information related to COVID-19.”
By late Monday night, the video had racked up 20 million views on Facebook.
A Facebook spokesperson said: “We’ve removed this video for sharing false information about cures and treatments for Covid-19.”
Facebook has been battling coronavirus misinformation on its platform since January but there are now several instances of disinformation going viral before they’re removed.
Immanuel, a pediatrician and a religious minister, has a history of making bizarre claims about medical topics and other issues.
She has often claimed that gynecological problems like cysts and endometriosis are in fact caused by people having sex in their dreams with demons and witches.
She alleges alien DNA is currently used in medical treatments, and that scientists are cooking up a vaccine to prevent people from being religious.
And, despite appearing in Washington, D.C. to lobby Congress on Monday, she has said that the government is run in part not by humans but by ‘reptilians’ and other aliens.
President Trump has long advocated the drug’s use and previously said he took it himself, suggesting it helps to prevent people from contracting the new strain of coronavirus.
There is mixed evidence about the effectiveness of hydroxychloroquine in treating COVID-19 and studies are ongoing.
Most have so far shown it offers little or no benefit.
The FDA has warned against the use of the drug, which is usually used to treat malaria and rheumatoid arthritis, due to the risk of heart rhythm problems.
Trump has dismissed concerns over the use of the drug.
Earlier this year he said there was a “very good chance” it could have a positive impact on treating the virus.
Trump added that “you’re not going to get sick and die” from taking it even if the drug does not help an individual with COVID-19.
These comments sparked a backlash and many of those criticizing Trump made reference to a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) study which did show a higher mortality rate for those treated with the drug alone.
The FDA said there were “reports of serious heart rhythm problems and other safety issues, including blood and lymph system disorders, kidney injuries, and liver problems and failure” linked to the use of hydroxychloroquine.
Dr. Anthony Fauci has said there’s no evidence that shows hydroxychloroquine is effective at treating COVID-19.
“Clearly the scientific data is really quite evident now about the lack of efficacy for it,” said Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease doctor.
Fauci said evidence also shows the likelihood that the drug can cause severe irregular heart rhythms.
“There was suspicion of that for a while, but as data comes in, it becomes more clear,” Fauci said.