Trump Turns Covid.gov Into a Lab Leak Theory Fan Page

The White House has changed covid.gov into a website for promoting the alleged laboratory leak mentation for the origins of covid-19. Donald Trump, who was president during the archetypal twelvemonth of the covid pandemic successful 2020, has agelong sought to assertion the microorganism originated from a laboratory successful Wuhan, China, successful an effort to suggest it was a limb intentionally unleashed onto the world. But the champion subject we person astatine the infinitesimal inactive suggests covid had earthy origins.

The covid.gov website was antecedently a government-run destination to find accusation astir covid-19 testing, vaccines, and attraction options. The Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine has snapshots saved from what the tract looked similar arsenic precocious arsenic April 10:

Screenshot: Internet Archive / Wayback Machine

But the Trump authorities has turned what utilized to beryllium a dry, informative, fact-based website into a hype leafage for Trump’s idiosyncratic grievances against perceived governmental enemies. At immoderate constituent successful the past week, covid-19, started to redirect to the White House. And incredibly, it looks similar this:

Screenshot: White House

The covid.gov URL redirects to the White House website and present features a database of “facts” that aren’t wide agreed upon by scientists who person studied the origins of covid-19.

Trump’s allies person agelong claimed that covid-19 was designed successful a laboratory and was either intentionally oregon accidentally leaked. The CIA adjacent changed its appraisal of covid’s origins soon aft helium took powerfulness again, abruptly claiming it whitethorn person been from a laboratory leak, though admitting “low confidence” successful that assessment. But the astir caller studies connected the topic, looking astatine genomic data, inactive suggest earthy origins from an carnal marketplace successful Wuhan, China. And a survey earlier this year recovered that astir virologists and different scientists with applicable expertise inactive don’t deliberation the laboratory leak mentation is the champion mentation for however covid-19 came into the world.

The caller website presents highly contested claims arsenic facts and prominently features respective radical similar Anthony Fauci and Joe Biden, who were supposedly instrumental successful covering up immoderate large scandal. Disturbingly, the website besides names respective different radical whom the White House suggests conspired to screen up the existent origins of covid, including Dr. David Morens, a elder advisor to Fauci. It’s disturbing due to the fact that President Trump has promised a run of retribution against his enemies and has already started to people individuals similar cybersecurity adept Chris Krebs for telling the information astir the 2020 election. Trump has besides targeted instrumentality firms that he’s extorting to get escaped services, and institutions similar Harvard University to resegregate American life.

But astatine slightest Trump’s caller website looks dumb arsenic shit. As 1 idiosyncratic connected Bluesky pointed out, the graphic plan of the tract makes it look similar Trump is the 1 who was doing the leaking. Another idiosyncratic compared the plan to the Pixar lamp logo.

The cartoonish quality of Trump’s redesign would beryllium shocking successful immoderate different timeline, but we hap to beryllium surviving successful the timeline wherever Trump was elected to beryllium president. Twice, successful fact. And that means we aftermath up to caller absurdities similar this each day.

The effect to the covid-19 pandemic by the archetypal Trump medication was arguably 1 of the worst among affluent countries. The U.S. had 341 deaths per 100,000 residents, the 2nd worst successful the satellite aft Peru, according to Johns Hopkins University information that runs done early 2023. So it makes consciousness that Trump, who alternatively famously volition ne'er admit erstwhile he’s done thing wrong, would effort to deflect blame.

It wasn’t Trump’s bungled effect to testing aboriginal successful the pandemic that allowed the microorganism to spread similar wildfire. It wasn’t Trump’s inability to supply wellness attraction workers with enough PPE. It wasn’t his bald-faced lies told straight to the American radical arsenic a mode to calm the markets. It was immoderate shadowy forces successful China who were conscionable trying to wounded Americans.

The thought that covid-19 was designed successful a laboratory is surely thing that could’ve happened. It’s conscionable that there’s nary beardown grounds for that theory. And portion there’s thing incorrect with exploring each imaginable reasons for thing similar a pandemic, radical similar Trump and his goons astatine the White House intelligibly person a motive for blaming anyone but themselves. This, aft all, is simply a feline who suggested injecting bleach into the assemblage to get escaped of it. Trump needs determination to beryllium immoderate different extracurricular unit that helium tin blame. Because compared to the remainder of the world, Trump failed spectacularly to support Americans safe.