Politico published an article reporting that President Donald Trump called the novel coronavirus a “hoax” in a speech Friday in South Carolina. “Trump rallies his base to treat coronavirus as a ‘hoax,’” reads the headline. Verdict: False. Trump referred to “politicizing” of the coronavirus by Democrats as “their new hoax.” He did not refer to the coronavirus itself as a hoax. Throughout his speech, Trump reiterated that his administration is taking the threat of the coronavirus seriously.