Don’s bitter pill
Nancy ‘sick’ for saying his Rx risky for ‘obese’
President Trump bashed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday as “a sick woman” with “mental health problems” after she urged him to think twice about taking hydroxychloroquine since he’s obese and could suffer serious side effects from the unproven coronavirus drug.
Emerging from a closeddoor lunch with Republican senators on Capitol Hill, Trump at first said he didn’t want to punch back at Pelosi over the obesity jab because “she’s a waste of time.”
But Pelosi was clearly on Trump’s mind, as he later brought her up unprompted while railing against congressional Democrats for investigating his 2016 campaign’s ties to Russia.
“These people are sick. Pelosi is a sick woman,” Trump told reporters, as the U.S. coronavirus death toll climbed above 91,000. “She’s got a lot of problems, a lot of mental problems. They have to get their act together for the good of the country, OK?”
A spokesman for Pelosi did not return a request for comment.
Pelosi (D-Calif.) went on CNN Monday night and said she was concerned by the president’s revelation earlier in the day that he’s been popping hydroxychloroquine pills preventatively for coronavirus for nearly two weeks, even though his own medical experts say the drug can cause deadly side effects and hasn’t been proven to cure COVID-19.
“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,” Pelosi said.
According to Trump’s latest physical exam, his body mass index is 30.4, making him clinically obese. Obesity is one of the many preexisting conditions that can exacerbate COVID-19 symptoms.
Still, Trump insisted Tuesday that hydroxychloroquine is like a coronavirus shield.
“It seems to be an extra line of defense, and it is has gotten tremendous reviews,” Trump said during a cabinet meeting at the White House later in the day.
The president added, “What has been determined is, it doesn’t harm you. It’s a very powerful drug, I guess, but it doesn’t harm you.”
Trump’s own government experts disagree.
The Food and Drug Administration released guidance on April 24 saying doctors should not prescribe hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19 because the drug can cause “abnormal” and “dangerous” heart rhythms, especially in people who are above 70 or have preexisting heart conditions.
Trump is 73 and has elevated cholesterol levels, which can increase the risk of heart attacks, according to his 2019 physical.
Asked during the cabinet meeting about the FDA guidance, Trump pretended like it didn’t exist.
“That’s not what I was told,” he said.
Trump says he’s been tested regularly ever since and that all his results have come back negative.
Hydroxychloroquine, Trump suggested Tuesday, is his safety blanket.
“We’re in a very big building with a lot of people working, so I thought it would be appropriate,” he said of taking the drug.
Despite his willingness to use a drug that hasn’t been FDA approved, Trump refuses to wear a face mask in public, as is recommended by his own Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
He appeared to be the only person without a mask at Tuesday’s lunch with GOP senators.
Senate offices, meanwhile, did not receive notice about Trump’s visit until Tuesday morning, and members likely weren’t tested before the lunch, as there are no protocols in place at the Capitol, according to a GOP aide who spoke on condition of anonymity.