If you haven't stumbled across the "Biden-Harris HQ" account, consider yourself lucky. You've managed to avoid some of the dumbest, most counter-productive campaign propaganda out there. It's so bad that I've wondered if the interns who run the account are actually trying to get Donald Trump elected.
I mean, come on. It's like Trump campaign officials are running this thing.
This account is basically an in-kind contribution to Trump. https://t.co/qOfb7t0epu
— Bonchie (@bonchieredstate) May 29, 2024
Trump says he will “immediately” end the Department of Education if he wins pic.twitter.com/oV8G2VLjDy
— Biden-Harris HQ (@BidenHQ) June 2, 2024
Alright, maybe not all the time, though. The "Biden-Harris HQ," which is an official arm of the Biden campaign, found itself facing pushback after it claimed Fox News' John Roberts had told a "blatant lie" regarding Trump and insulin prices. Here's what the post, which still hasn't been deleted or corrected, looked like.
SEE: Johnathan Turley Flips 'Blatant Lie' Charge Against Fox Host Back on Biden Campaign
Fox host tries to claim Trump, not President Biden, capped insulin at $35/month
— Biden-Harris HQ (@BidenHQ) June 3, 2024
FACT CHECK: This is a blatant lie. Trump did not cap insulin costs, President Biden did for seniors through the Inflation Reduction Act. Trump’s Project 2025 wants to repeal it, which would raise… pic.twitter.com/iDrrBKEIhf
The problem? Their "fact-check" is factually untrue, and Roberts wasn't willing to take the accusation lying down. Instead, he took the airwaves with a handful of receipts and delivered a takedown of the Biden campaign.
🔥 Fox News host John Roberts hits back at the Biden campaign after they accuse him of a ‘blatant lie’ over his reporting that Trump capped insulin at $35 a month
— TV News Now (@TVNewsNow) June 4, 2024
After providing the receipts showing it was Trump, not Biden, who capped insulin costs, John adds: "We invited a… pic.twitter.com/PV0Ma1Nnir
ROBERTS: Yesterday, coming out of a segment in which the $35 insulin co-pay under the Inflation Reduction Act was mentioned, I remarked that I recalled back in May of 2020, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services that stated President Trump had a plan to lower insulin co-pays to $35. The Biden campaign's rapid response issued a post on X saying the following: "Fox host tries to claim Trump, not President Biden capped insulin at $35 a month. Fact-check: This is a blatant lie."
But there are receipts to dispute the Biden campaign's claim about what I said.
At that point, Roberts put up the following statement from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Today, under President Trump’s leadership, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that over 1,750 standalone Medicare Part D prescription drug plans and Medicare Advantage plans with prescription drug coverage have applied to offer lower insulin costs through the Part D Senior Savings Model for the 2021 plan year. Across the nation, participating enhanced Part D prescription drug plans will provide Medicare beneficiaries access to a broad set of insulins at a maximum $35 copay for a month’s supply, from the beginning of the year through the Part D coverage gap. The model follows on the Trump Administration’s previously announced 13.5 percent decline in the average monthly basic Part D premium since 2017 to the lowest level in seven years.
He wasn't done, though. After reading proof from the CMS that Trump had instituted a plan to cap insulin prices at $35 a month, Roberts then played clips of an official praising the plan from the Rose Garden. Further, he shared news stories explaining how the plan would work, which was set to go into effect in January 2021. Lastly, Roberts quoted the Rand Corporation, which provided details on how successful the plan was. In fact, it was so successful that Biden's $35 insulin cap, which he has bragged incessantly about, was simply an expansion of the plan Trump had already put in place.
Ironically, that almost didn't happen, though. Why? Because in all his pettiness, Biden paused the plan on his second day in office. Roberts didn't mention that, but he really should have.
President Biden has been reversing or pausing some rules put in place under former President Donald Trump this week, including one designed to bring down the price of insulin.
The Department of Health and Human Services on Thursday announced that the directive would be put on hold among a number of other measures that were passed under Trump, but are not yet in effect.
In March 2021, Trump's plan was allowed to move forward to no fanfare. Biden then spent the next three years pretending $35 insulin prices were his idea. To borrow from the "Biden-Harris HQ," that was and continues to be a blatant lie.
Perhaps the various "fact-checkers" will take a break from hanging on Trump's every word to give this disinformation from the Biden campaign a whirl. Oh, who am I kidding?
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