Facebook removed a video post from President Trump Wednesday in which he claimed in an interview with Fox News that children are "almost immune" to COVID-19.
Why it matters: It’s the first time that Facebook has removed content from Trump's account for violating policies on coronavirus-related misinformation.
Be smart: In the last couple of weeks, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has shown a greater willingness to disagree with Trump. Facebook is often criticized for kowtowing to Republicans and arguing for free speech when people are upset by its content policies.
- In an earnings call last week, Zuckerberg criticized the federal government's response to the coronavirus pandemic, saying it could have been handled better, and adding there is "no end in sight" to working from home for employees.
- Zuckerberg also hosted a Facebook Live with NIAID director Anthony Fauci amid the disease expert's increasingly icy relationship with the White House.
What they're saying: "This video includes false claims that a group of people is immune from COVID-19 which is a violation of our policies around harmful COVID misinformation," Facebook spokesperson Andy Stone told Axios.
Between the lines: The company hasn't hesitated to go after world leaders before, recently taking down COVID-19 content posted by Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.
The bottom line: Itlooks like this is another instance of Facebook being more forceful in applying its COVID-19 misinformation policies, against the president in particular.
