White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany shredded CNN host Chris Cuomo on Wednesday over attacks that he made on President Donald Trump for taking hydroxychloroquine after Cuomo reportedly took a less safe version of the drug while he had the coronavirus.
“You had Chris Cuomo saying, ‘the president knows that hydroxychloroquine is not supported by science. He knows it has been flagged by his own people and he’s using it,'” McEnany said during the press briefing on Wednesday as she highlighted attacks from the media on Trump taking the drug that he got from his doctor.
“Well, Cuomo mocked the president for this and interestingly, I found this out just before coming here, hydroxychloroquine, of course, is an FDA approved medication with a long proven track record for safety,” McEnany continued. “And it turns out that Chris Cuomo took a less safe version of it called quinine, which the FDA removed from the market in 2006 because of its serious side effects, including death. So really interesting to have that criticism of the president.”
WATCH:
For those that haven't seen it yet, here was today's episode of @PressSec @KayleighMcEnany absolutely owning the liberal media. Kristen Welker asked the questions, but among her targets today? Kimmel, Scarborough, and Fredo Cuomo https://t.co/2JVyrdT67ipic.twitter.com/Hxwv0fvonx
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) May 21, 2020
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TRANSCRIPT:
REPORTER: Let me just get your reaction to something. We just got moments ago, a statement from the American Nurses Association, which says, “The American Nurses Association has not received reports from nurses or other frontline healthcare workers utilizing hydroxychloroquine as a preventative treatment for COVID-19.” Why does the president continue to say that many or thousands of frontline workers are using it as a prophylactic?
KAYLEIGH MCENANY: Well, there is. Henry Ford Hospital is doing a study on this now where 3,000 frontline workers will be taking hydroxychloroquine to look at its use as a prophylaxis. I believe there’s a few hundred or 190 workers in Tampa General Hospital. So this is being used by some. And one thing I want to note with regard to hydroxychloroquine because I think it’s very important that we’re as accurate as we can be with our reporting on this. Hydroxychloroquine has been a drug that has been in use for 65 years for lupus, arthritis, and malaria. It has a very good safety profile.
But as with any drug and as with any prescription, it should be given by a doctor to a patient in that context. So no one should be taking this without a prescription from their doctor. But that being said, I’ve seen a lot of apoplectic coverage of hydroxychloroquine. You had Jimmy Kimmel saying the president’s “trying to kill himself by taking it.” You had Joe Scarborough saying, “this will kill you.” Neil Cavuto saying, “what have you got to lose? On one thing you have to lose are lives.” And you had Chris Cuomo saying, “the president knows that hydroxychloroquine is not supported by science. He knows it has been flagged by his own people and he’s using it.”
Well, Cuomo mocked the president for this. And interestingly, I found this out just before coming here, hydroxychloroquine, of course, is an FDA approved medication with a long proven track record for safety. And it turns out that Chris Cuomo took a less safe version of it called quinine, which the FDA removed from the market in 2006 because of its serious side effects, including death. So really interesting to have that criticism of the president. And on that note to Chris Cuomo, I’d like to redirect him to his brother, the Governor of New York, Governor Cuomo, who has several on the record statements about hydroxychloroquine saying, “I’m an optimist. I’m hopeful about the drug and that’s why we’ll try it here in New York as soon as we get it. There has been anecdotal evidence that it’s promising. That’s why we’re going ahead.”
And I have about eight other quotes from governor Cuomo should any of you have interest in that.
REPORTER: You just cited studies though. There are trials that are in their early phases. Do you have any evidence that thousands of frontline workers are currently using it because they believe it actually will prevent them from getting COVID-19?
MCENANY: The FDA has approved this for off label use. This president’s a big believer in right to try legislation, people who are in their last …
REPORTER: Do you have proof of thousands of workers using it?
MCENANY: There are several studies that have been brought up the president has actually mentioned that I’d refer you to, there was one out of France, a French study, involving more than a thousand patients that found that the vast majority had “good clinical outcomes.” And by the vast majority, that was more than 90%. There was an Italian study of more than 65,000 patients that demonstrated, only 20 tested positive of those who are taking it prophylactically in a South Korea study as well. So there are several studies.
And if you’re someone out there and this is a safe drug to use and your doctor, importantly to underscore that, and your doctor prescribes it for your use as a prophylaxis or after coming into contact with COVID, then it’s something you should take if it’s prescribed by the doctor and that’s your personal medical choice. Yes?