Trump tweet containing accurate information was apparently inspired by CNN segment

President Donald Trump on Thursday threw cold water on conservatives who have been advocating that the United States follow Sweden's lead in not having any official lockdown to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Despite reports to the contrary, Sweden is paying heavily for its decision not to lockdown," the president wrote. "As of today, 2462 people have died there, a much higher number than the neighboring countries of Norway (207), Finland (206) or Denmark (443). The United States made the correct decision!"

While it was jarring to see the president using accurate information to contradict a narrative being peddled by many of his own supporters, it appears that the president may have been inspired to write this tweet after watching one of his most hated media outlets.

Media Matters researcher Matt Gertz notes that Trump's tweet came less than an hour after CNN aired a report about COVID-19 death tolls in Sweden that featured the exact same numbers touted by Trump in his tweet.

Although the president relies heavily on Fox News for his information, he does channel surf from time to time to see what's being said on CNN and MSNBC, even though he regularly rails against both networks.