Facebook deleted a post by President Trump Tuesday falsely claiming that COVID-19 is “less lethal” than the seasonal flu, even though the virus has killed more than 210,000 people in the United States. Twitter similarly hid Trump’s tweet, with a warning that the president’s post contains “misleading and potentially harmful information” about the coronavirus. Trump’s false claim directly contradicts his private comments to journalist Bob Woodward, recorded in early February.

President Donald Trump: “It’s also more deadly than your — you know, your — even your strenuous flus. … This is more deadly. This is 5 per — you know, this is 5% versus 1% and less than 1%. You know, so this is deadly stuff.”