Trump is still very excited about hydroxychloroquine
At Sunday night's Fox News virtual town hall, President Trump said he still talks a lot about the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine as a COVID-19 treatment and complained that some Democrats "would rather see people — I'm going to be very nice, I'm not going to say die — I'm going to say would rather see people not get well because they think I'm going to get credit if, you know, hydroxychloroquine works." He dismissed a Veterans Affairs study suggesting the drug increased the risk of death and a subsequent FDA warning.
In his quest for a "silver bullet" to slay the coronavirus, Trump became obsessed with hydroxychloroquine after hearing frequent praise for the drug from Fox News and friends, The Washington Post reported Saturday night. "Although Trump stopped touting the drug publicly, privately he maintained his support for hydroxychloroquine and got upset with government officials presenting studies or bringing him evidence of its risks or failings, encouraging them to have a more positive outlook." Fox News host Laura Ingraham brought two doctors to the Oval Office on April 3 to talk up the malaria drug, the Post reports, adding this anecdote:
Top U.S. medical officials are more excited about Remdesivir, and Trump also touted that experimental antiviral drug in the Fox News town hall. "We are putting the full power and might behind this drug," he said, without elaborating.
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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
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