In his 1997 book “The Art of the Comeback,” then future President Donald J. Trump said that asbestos was “100% safe” and “got a bad rap.” The science on asbestos as a risk factor for a broad range of cancers has long been settled, with little meaningful dispute about the product’s harms. But Trump’s book, which was a bestseller, had reach, and was part of an effort to sow doubt about a product that seemed to have inconvenienced his efforts in construction projects.
The world is by now accustomed to former President Trump’s promotion of—at best dubious—claims about particular commercial products. This includes, more recently, his claims about the efficacy of ivermectin during the COVID-19 pandemic, which were in sharp contrast with what the science tells us.
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