On Wednesday, senator and former 2020 Democratic presidential hopeful Kamala Harris called President Trump a “drug pusher” for promoting the drug hydroxychloroquine, which many doctors have reported as being an effective treatment for coronavirus.
‘We don’t want a drug pusher for president’
“The president keeps taking the stage and as opposed to what Dr. [Anthony] Fauci and medical health professionals are telling us, pushing this drug,” Harris said during an appearance on “The View.” “He’s got to stop — he’s not — we don’t want a drug pusher for president.”
Kamala Harris On Trump Touting Hydroxychloroquine: ‘We Don’t Want A Drug Pusher For President’ https://t.co/0ZDtCgBpRI
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) April 9, 2020
Hydroxychloroquine is an anti-malarial drug that some anecdotal reports note has had some success in treating some coronavirus patients. Still, there is not conclusive clinical evidence that it works.
One Doctor Understands Why President Trump is Promoting the Drug
On Monday, Dr. Joshua Rosenberg of Brooklyn Hospital Center told the New York Times, “I certainly understand why the president is pushing it. He’s the president of the United States. He has to project hope….So I’m not faulting him for pushing it even if there isn’t a lot of science behind it, because it is, at this point, the best, most available option for use.”
"He’s got to stop — he’s not — we don’t want a drug pusher for president."
Failed presidential candidate @KamalaHarris wants @realDonaldTrump to stop promoting hydroxychloroquine.https://t.co/183gTWDxEG
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) April 9, 2020
National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases head, Dr. Anthony Fauci, has urged caution when it comes to the drug.
“I think we’ve got to be careful that we don’t make that majestic leap to assume that this is a knockout drug,” Fauci said during an interview on Fox News on Friday. “We still need to do the kinds of studies that definitively prove whether any intervention, not just this one, any intervention is truly safe and effective.”
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New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has asked President Trump for More Hydroxychloroquine
As experts continue to debate the drug’s effectiveness, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has asked President Trump to increase the amount of hydroxychloroquine available to hospitals in his state, which has become a troubled COVID-19 hotspot.
Will Gov. Andrew Cuomo also be tried at The Hague for saying hospitals have had positive results with hydroxychloroquine? https://t.co/qtOUbgeQVj
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) April 6, 2020
“There has been anecdotal evidence that it is promising,” Cuomo said, referring to hydroxychloroquine during a press conference, while also noting its effectiveness is yet to be scientifically proven.
NYT Runs ‘Mostly False’ Story About Trump Supposedly Benefitting Finacially From Hydroxychloroquine
On Tuesday, the New York Times ran a questionable story claiming President Trump had a “small personal financial interest” in a French company that produces hydroxychloroquine. But Trump’s personal stake in the company cited is only estimated to be around $100, while his net worth is believed to be between 3 and $4 billion.
Fact-checker Snopes rated the NYT’s story “Mostly false.”
Brutal day for The New York Times. The worst of the worst at The Washington Post, Vox, and Snopes were like "yeah that's a pretty ridiculous fake news narrative." pic.twitter.com/EmO1v8OMq4
— Matt Wolking (Text TRUMP to 88022) (@MattWolking) April 8, 2020