Day 1,215: Trump says he’s taking ‘the hydroxy’ — a drug more likely to kill him than prevent coronavirus

Donald Trump’s war with coronavirus reality soldiers on. As the disease continues to decimate the U.S. from coast-to-coast, Trump lives in an alternate universe where every whiff of a treatment is a miracle cure and every clinical trial is evidence of a proven vaccine and thousands of Americans aren’t dying by the day.

Perhaps Trump’s favorite drug to tout has been hydroxychloroquine (HCQ). He has pumped it as a wonder drug and got Fox News to follow suit for months.

But when the drug was tested on actual coronavirus patients, at its best, it didn’t help at all. At its worst, patients who took it had a higher death rate than standard coronavirus treatment.

The FDA has subsequently warned that HCQ is especially dangerous if taken outside of a hospital setting due to “heart-related adverse events and death.” The FDA bluntly stated: “Hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine have not been shown to be safe and effective for treating or preventing COVID-19.”

Enter Trump on Monday, who said that not only is HCQ safe, but that he’s been taking “the hydoxy” for a couple of weeks because he’s “heard a lot of good stories.”

Trump said his evidence of the preventive effects of coronavirus was “a lot of positive calls,” followed by a rant about people not liking him causing other studies to be skewed negatively.

If Trump is actually taking HCQ — a big if considering Trump is 73 years old, has a history of heart disease and is clinically obese — he’s risking his life despite the lack of evidence that the drug will help him in any capacity.

If Trump is not actually taking HCQ, he’s willing to risk the lives of those who listen to and believe every word he says just so he doesn’t have to say, “I was wrong.”

1,215 days in, 247 to go

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