The Twitter account for Herman Cain tweeted Sunday that “the virus is not as deadly as the mainstream media first made it out to be” — exactly one month after the conservative commentator died from the coronavirus.
The now-deleted tweet — captured in numerous screenshots — linked to an article from the conservative news site Western Journal. The article highlighted new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that shows 94% of Americans who died with coronavirus had other underlying health conditions.
Cain’s account has been active since his July 30 death, initially drawing shock and ire by posting under his name. The verified account has since rebranded to “The Cain Gang” and made it clearer that its original owner had passed away.
Sunday’s tweet drew even more shock and ire.
SiriusXM’s Michelangelo Signorile wrote that the tweet from the longtime Republican politician was proof of a “death cult,” while Washington Post opinion columnist Catherine Rampell said it promoted a conspiracy theory.
Cain, a former GOP Presidential candidate and business czar, died at 74. Cain died last month after a month-long battle with COVID-19. He was hospitalized on July 1, two days after testing positive for the virus. He had attended President Trump’s rally in Tulsa on June 20 and was photographed not wearing a mask.
“Herman Cain – our boss, our friend, like a father to so many of us – has passed away. He’s entering the presence of the Savior he’s served as an associate minister at Antioch Baptist Church in Atlanta for, and preparing for his reward,” his website’s editor Dan Calabrese wrote of his passing.