An article on website Daily Snark went viral on Facebook, racking up more than 125,000 views in the first six hours after it was published. The article’s headline proclaims: “President Trump Says He Hopes The NFL Season Gets Canceled Due To Coronavirus.”
The article is about Trump’s recent interview with Fox Sports Radio host Clay Travis, who asked Trump how confident he was that the NFL would be able to hold its season. Trump replied: “Well they want to open, and they want to open badly and they’ve been working with government. I would say this: if they don’t stand for the national anthem I hope they don’t open, but other than that I’d love to see them open and we’re doing everything possible for getting them open.”
The Daily Snark article accurately describes the interaction between Travis and Trump, saying: “Trump also took time to once again rip the NFL, saying that the league may want to have a 2020 season despite the fallout of the Coronavirus outbreak, but if the players kneel, he hopes the league doesn’t open.” However, the headline errs in claiming that Trump said he hopes the coronavirus pandemic shuts down the NFL season.
If you have a claim you would like to see us fact check, please send us an email at factcheck@thedispatch.com. If you would like to suggest a correction to this piece or any other Dispatch article, please email corrections@thedispatch.com.
This fact check is available at IFCN’s 2020 U.S. Elections FactChat #Chatbot on WhatsApp. Click here, for more.
Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images/Getty Images.
Please note that we at The Dispatch hold ourselves, our work, and our commenters to a higher standard than other places on the internet. We welcome comments that foster genuine debate or discussion—including comments critical of us or our work—but responses that include ad hominem attacks on fellow Dispatch members or are intended to stoke fear and anger may be moderated.
You are currently using a limited time guest pass and do not have access to commenting. Consider subscribing to join the conversation.
With your membership, you only have the ability to comment on The Morning Dispatch articles. Consider upgrading to join the conversation everywhere.