Global health expert slams RNC's segment on coronavirus: 'It's all propaganda'


Dr. Vin Gupta, a global health policy expert fact-checking the Republican National Convention on MSNBC, said that the main coronavirus segment was "all propaganda. There's no truth to it."
He took issue with several statements in particular, including that President Trump's "quick action and leadership saved thousands of lives during COVID-19" and his "rapid policy changes" made telehealth services "now accessible to more than 71 million Americans, including 35 million children."
"A lot of that was hard to listen to, and this is not as a partisan, but as a clinician," Gupta said. No one even knew about the existence of COVID-19 toward the end of 2019, he continued, and now, it's one of the top causes of death for Americans. "To say that 170,000 souls lost in our country up to now is a success by any measure is fantasy," he said. "It's disrespectful to the families who lost loved ones, to frontline clinicians who put their lives at risk. It's just fantasy. It's propaganda."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Claims that Trump was able to get proper personal protective equipment to hospitals and first responders were also false, he said. "We had to import insufficient and inadequate PPE, KN95 masks that did not meet any recognizable U.S. standard from China or other places overseas because we didn't have enough PPE in our Strategic National Stockpile," Gupta explained. "It's all propaganda. There's no truth to it. We didn't have enough PPE for our nurses, our respiratory therapists, or our physicians to care for COVID critically-ill patients across the country."
The Trump administration also "didn't suddenly invent telehealth or telehealth reimbursement strategies in the last few months," Gupta said. "That's false. That is absolutely false. Up until the beginning of May, well into this pandemic, you needed a smartphone, you needed broadband internet access, to actually communicate with a telehealth provider, someone like me, to order a test for a patient. It wasn't until the middle of May that they loosened restrictions so you could get a test or you could communicate with a provider by phone. So let's be clear here about what's true and what's not true." Catherine Garcia
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Is Trump's tariffs plan working?
Today's Big Question Trump has touted 'victories', but inflation is the 'elephant in the room'
-
What are VPNs and how do they work?
The Explainer UK sees surge in use of virtual private networks after age verification comes into effect for online adult content
-
Why is it so hard to find an 'eligible' man?
In the Spotlight The lack of college-educated suitors is forcing women to 'marry down'
-
Harris rules out run for California governor
Speed Read The 2024 Democratic presidential nominee ended months of speculation about her plans for the contest
-
Trump sets new tariff rates as deadline nears
Speed Read New tariff rates for South Korea, Brazil and India announced
-
Ghislaine Maxwell: angling for a Trump pardon
Talking Point Convicted sex trafficker's testimony could shed new light on president's links to Jeffrey Epstein
-
Senate confirms Trump loyalist Bove to top court
Speed Read The president's former criminal defense lawyer was narrowly approved to earn a lifetime seat
-
Ghislaine Maxwell offers testimony for immunity
Speed Read The convicted sex trafficker offered to testify to Congress about her relationship with late boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein
-
Judge halts GOP defunding of Planned Parenthood
Speed Read The Trump administration can't withhold Medicaid funds from Planned Parenthood, said the ruling
-
Trump contradicts Israel, says 'starvation' in Gaza
Speed Read The president suggests Israel could be doing more to alleviate the suffering of Palestinians
-
Trump executive order targets homeless
Speed Read It will now be easier for states and cities to remove homeless people from the streets