On Sunday it was widely reported in the US and German press that President Trump had offered to buy the COVID19 vaccine being developed the German company CureVac. The report sparked outrage on both sides of the Atlantic as well as an angry response from German Chancellor Angela Merkel. A diary on DKOS was recommended and received hundreds of comments expressing outrage and disgust.
Only problem: There was no Takeover offer:
"There was and there is no takeover offer from the White House or governmental authorities. Neither to the technology nor to CureVac at all as a company," CureVac acting CEO Franz-Werner Haas said on a conference call on Tuesday.
CureVac gained widespread attention over the weekend after the German newspaper Welt am Sonntag reported that a Trump administration official offered large sums of money for rights to its vaccine, "but only for the USA."
It is unclear why Welt am Sonntag reported the non-existent takeover offer. It is not surprising, however, that the false report was republished and broadcasted on the major media outlets without any attempt to verify its accuracy. Trump is very unpopular in Germany, and the German press has a strong anti-American bias.