Pelosi mocks 'morbidly obese' Trump for taking unapproved drug hydroxychloroquine to prevent coronavirus
President Donald Trump’s revealed on Monday, May 18, that he has been taking hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) for over a week now to prevent getting affected by the coronavirus. Ever since he made the remark, reactions have come pouring in thick and fast. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is also among them who expressed their thoughts on Trump’s controversial precautionary act since the anti-malaria drug has not been confirmed to be a cure for the virus that has killed over 90,000 people so far. The 80-year-old Congresswoman from California cautioned the president from continuing with the same though with a pinch of ridicule.
Pelosi, who doesn't share a very pleasant rapport with Trump, spoke on the president’s HCQ intake during an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper and took a jab at the latter’s weight. “As far as the president is concerned, he’s our president, and I would rather he not be taking something that has not been approved by the scientists, especially in his age group and in his, shall we say, weight group. Morbidly obese, they say,” Pelosi said after the host asked whether she was concerned with the president’s drug regimen, adding: “So, I think it’s not a good idea.”
Pelosi was less sympathetic towards Trump, however, when she sought an explanation from Trump over his abrupt removal of Steve Linick, the inspector general of the state department who was appointed by former president Barack Obama. In a letter to the president, she said while the president informed Congress on the decision to remove Linick within 30 days, he gave no rationale behind it, something which is required by the law.
Trump’s last reported weight was 243 pounds and with a height of six foot-three inches, it puts his body mass index (BMI) in the obese category, not ‘morbidly obese’ since his BMI was still under 40. A BMI of 40 or above is considered “severe” obesity, which some also call “morbid” obesity, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
White House physician Sean Conley confirmed on Monday, May 18, that the president has been taking HCQ as a preventive measure against the coronavirus. The president is undergoing tests daily now after a few White House aides recently tested positive. He has tested negative so far. Conley confirmed the news in a letter.
“After numerous discussions he and I had regarding the evidence for and against the use of hydroxychloroquine, we concluded the potential benefit from treatment outweighed the relative risks,” Conley said.
Schumer says it's because Trump 'lies about things characteristically'
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer also expressed shock over Trump’s revelations and called it ‘dangerous’. He also suspected whether the president was taking the drug in reality. “Maybe he’s really not taking it because the president lies about things characteristically,” Schumer said on MSNBC. “I don’t know whether he is taking it or not. I know him saying he is taking it, whether he is or not, is reckless, reckless, reckless.”
Trump has been vouching for HCQ as a potential cure for the deadly virus over months although there is no backing of his theory from any expert yet. Doctors were also worried that people could blindly start trying the drug seeing Trump and thinking it is safe for consumption. A senior presenter in Fox News, which is known to be a channel sympathetic to Trump, also warned people against taking HCQ despite the president's act.
“There is no evidence that hydroxychloroquine is effective for the treatment or the prevention of Covid-19,” Dr Patrice Harris, president of the American Medical Association, said, adding: “The results to date are not promising.”