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Trump news: President leaves Florida after Nasa SpaceX rocket launch postponed as US coronavirus death toll hits 100,000

AP
AP

Donald Trump arrived at Florida's Kennedy Space Centre on Wednesday to witness Nasa's SpaceX rocket launch as the nation's coronavirus death toll climbed to 100,000, eclipsing American deaths from military combat from the last several decades, while nearly every state enters another week of "reopening" despite climbing rates of new cases in nearly two dozen states.

The president did not issue any public statement or other message to Americans in the wake of those deaths, opting instead to escalate his war with Twitter, his virtual soapbox, over his right to spread false claims.

Nasa's anticipated launch was postponed moments before countdown was set to begin. The event will mark the first time American astronauts are launched into space from American soil since 2011.

Mr Trump threatened social media platforms with tougher restrictions or even closure after accusing Twitter of meddling in this year’s election and “completely stifling FREE SPEECH” by adding a link to one of his posts — spreading baseless fear-mongering over postal voting — that led his followers to a page where they could “get the facts” on the issue instead.

The president is now expected to issue an executive order on social media on Thursday, following his accusations that conservative posts are censored by the companies after he had frequently claimed without evidence that mail-in voting leads to voter fraud.

Mr Trump has also used his massive social media platform to spread conspiracy theories accusing MSNBC host Joe Scarborough of having something to do with the death of a former staffer in 2001.

Twitter said it will not remove those posts but has suggested the company was considering measures to label misinformation on the platform.

The president also threatened to veto a bill to reauthorise previously lapsed national security surveillance measures that he says the Obama administration had abused to spy on his 2016 campaign.

"Our Country has just suffered through the greatest political crime in its history," the president said on Wednesday, invoking his Obamagate conspiracy.

The House is voting on the bill and an accompanying Senate amendment on Wednesday evening after the upper chamber passed both measures last week with overwhelming bipartisan support.

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