The coronavirus will magically disappear after Election Day
| The coronavirus will magically disappear after Election Day | |
|---|---|
| FALSE | |
| "The coronavirus will 'magically' go away after the November 3, 2020 election, and Democrats are 'milking' lockdowns to hurt Donald Trump." | |
| Domain | Health & Medicine |
| Tactic | Conspiracy Theory Propaganda Technique |
| Era | Current |
| First seen | 2020 |
| Origin | Eric Trump's appearance on Fox News's Justice with Judge Jeanine, May 16, 2020 |
| Last reviewed | 2026-11-03 |
| Further reading: books on Health & Medicine | |
The claim that COVID-19 would 'magically' disappear after the election was made by Eric Trump on Fox News in May 2020, framing lockdowns as a Democratic plot to deprive his father of rallies.
What the evidence shows
- What he said. Eric Trump said Democrats were 'milking' the pandemic and that the virus would 'magically all of a sudden go away and disappear' after November 3. He said Democrats thought lockdowns took away his father's 'greatest tool,' arena rallies.
- What happened next. The virus did not vanish on Election Day. The U.S. recorded its highest daily case counts in the weeks after the election, and COVID-19 deaths in the United States remained high through 2021.
- Reaction. Biden deputy campaign manager Kate Bedingfield called the remark 'absolutely stunning and unbelievably reckless.' Health experts said it had no scientific basis.
- Lockdowns were not partisan in origin. Stay-at-home orders were issued by governors of both parties in spring 2020.
Why it persists
The claim fit a broader belief that the pandemic response was political. Because case counts do fall at times, the idea of a sudden end can feel plausible to someone who wants it to be true.
Lessons for readers
- Epidemics follow biology and behavior, not election calendars.
- A prediction with a date can be checked; this one failed.
- Reframing public health as a plot is a common pattern.
See also
Sources
- Axios, 'Eric Trump accuses Democrats of milking coronavirus lockdowns to win the election,' May 17, 2020.
- Time, Washington Times, Salon and The Hill reports on the remark, May 2020.
- CDC COVID Data Tracker, national case and death counts.