Ted Cruz Deletes X Post Claiming 82% Miscarriage Rate After It Reached 600,000 Users
Updated
Updated · The Daily Beast · Aug 14
Ted Cruz Deletes X Post Claiming 82% Miscarriage Rate After It Reached 600,000 Users
3 articles · Updated · The Daily Beast · Aug 14
Summary
Ted Cruz removed an X post by Thursday evening after backlash over his claim that COVID-19 vaccines caused an “82% miscarriage rate.”
The post cited 2021 Fauci texts, but critics and X’s community note said Cruz misread a CDC/NEJM study by excluding about 700 of 827 cases with incomplete follow-up.
Full data put the miscarriage rate at 12.6%—within the normal 10% to 26% range—and the CDC has recommended vaccination during pregnancy.
CNN said the post was viewed more than 600,000 times before deletion, amplifying a false claim experts said had been settled since 2021.
Dr. Kevin Ault, a former CDC vaccine adviser, said five more years of evidence show no increased miscarriage risk and make an eightfold jump implausible.