Trump's COVID-19 messaging chief vents conspiracy theories, says his 'mental health has definitely failed'


Michael Caputo, the controversial communications chief at the Department of Health and Human Services, unleashed some bizarre, false conspiracy theories in a Facebook Live chat on his personal account Sunday night, The New York Times reported Monday. Caputo confirmed the details of his comments to The Washington Post and CNN, and deactivated his social media accounts Monday.
In his Facebook livestream, Caputo accused career government scientists of "sedition" and said left-wing "hit squads" being trained to rise up against President Trump will probably kill him. He claimed baselessly that a "resistance unit" of scientists "deep in the bowels" of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention meets "at coffee shops" to plot "how they're going to attack Donald Trump next."
Caputo also attacked the news media and Democrats, predicting Trump will win but Joe Biden won't concede, "and when Donald Trump refuses to stand down at the inauguration, the shooting will begin," he warned. "The drills that you've seen are nothing. If you carry guns, buy ammunition, ladies and gentlemen." He claimed his family is being verbally threatened, his "mental health has definitely failed," and he doesn't "like being alone in Washington," describing "shadows on the ceiling in my apartment, there alone, shadows are so long."
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.
Trump installed Caputo, a 58-year-old New York public relations specialist and Trump 2016 campaign alumnus, in April, opting to put a longtime loyalist in charge of COVID-19 messaging instead of firing HHS Secretary Alex Azar "over a series of damaging stories about Trump's handling of the pandemic," the Post repots. Caputo immediately exerted tight control over the public appearances of public health officials and has recently come under scrutiny for successfully demanding access to and revising the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports, allegedly adding a Trump-friendly gloss to core health bulletins previously "so thoroughly shielded from political interference that political appointees only saw them just before they were published," the Times reports.
"Caputo is viewed as a Trump loyalist, but several White House officials said his behavior has been erratic and some of his ideas have been regarded as extreme," the Post reports. His inflammatory comments on Facebook echo those by Trump and another longtime ally, Roger Stone, the Times notes. Caputo's job is believed to be safe.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Hotel La Duna Bianca, Resort & SPA Le Dune: all-inclusive indulgence in northern Sardinia
The Week Recommends Set among the sand dunes of Badesi, this sprawling retreat is less a resort and more a self-contained luxury village
-
6 smart, surprising food books to drag you through the summer months
The Week Recommends BBQ and why we consume the way we do are just two of the tackled topics
-
June 20 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Friday’s political cartoons include compliments to the chef, Juneteenth wishes from ICE, and the Ayatollah waiting for Signal leaks
-
Kennedy ousts entire CDC vaccine advisory panel
speed read Health Secretary RFK Jr. is a longtime anti-vaccine activist who has criticized the panel of experts
-
RFK Jr. scraps Covid shots for pregnant women, kids
Speed Read The Health Secretary announced a policy change without informing CDC officials
-
New FDA chiefs limit Covid-19 shots to elderly, sick
speed read The FDA set stricter approval standards for booster shots
-
US overdose deaths plunged 27% last year
speed read Drug overdose still 'remains the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18-44,' said the CDC
-
Trump seeks to cut drug prices via executive order
speed read The president's order tells pharmaceutical companies to lower prescription drug prices, but it will likely be thrown out by the courts
-
RFK Jr. visits Texas as 2nd child dies from measles
Speed Read An outbreak of the vaccine-preventable disease continues to grow following a decade of no recorded US measles deaths
-
Shingles vaccine cuts dementia risk, study finds
Speed Read Getting vaccinated appears to significantly reduce the chances of developing Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia
-
Measles outbreak spreads, as does RFK Jr.'s influence
Speed Read The outbreak centered in Texas has grown to at least three states and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is promoting unproven treatments