Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is raising questions about President Donald Trump’s remarks about taking hydroxychloroquine as a preventative measure for the coronavirus.
During an appearance on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” with Joe Scarborough, Schumer criticized the president, as he suggested Trump has an issue facing the truth when it comes to the health crisis and economical matters.
“When you run away from the truth, when you just do something that appeals to your ego, whether it’s true or not, every day, you will not succeed in either the health crisis or the economic crisis,” Schumer said on Tuesday morning.
He added, “And what he did last night is just an example, as you mentioned. It’s reckless to tell people he’s using [hydroxychloroquine].”
See Schumer’s remarks below:
The top Senate Democrat also questioned why the president made the claim. The Democratic lawmaker wonders if Trump or a friend may have a conflicting interest in the drug.
“So, I don’t know why he did it. Maybe he has family or friends who own part of the company. It’s not unlike this president. Someone at Mar-a-Lago or someone on the phone tells him, ‘Oh, this is a good company,’ and he just talks about it.“
Schumer went on to mull over various possibilities that he thinks would explain the president’s claim.
“Maybe he did it to divert attention from all the bad things happening, and maybe he’s just lying,” Schumer said. “This president doesn’t tell the truth. He may be taking this, he may not.”
He also noted the harmful aspects of Trump touting the unproven drug, noting his level of influence among his supporters.
“What he does is whatever suits his ego at the moment and he thinks might help him, he does. And then it hurts the country and, as you said, it hurts him,” Schumer said.
Since March, Trump has praised the anti-malarial drug as a potential treatment for coronavirus despite the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warning against the use of it for the coronavirus.