Remember long ago when your school required a doctor’s note to prove that you weren’t playing hooky. The notes were sometimes vague, but since it’s written by a doctor, well, it was difficult to question.
Fast forward to today and we get same feeling that principal or teacher had way back when. Is Donald Trump really taking hydroxycholoquine? Many are suspicious. Is this just more of Trump trying to show he’s in charge by a)never wearing a mask and now b) taking a drug that can kill you. The White House released a note from Trump’s physician. It came out hours after Trump claimed to be taking the drug. Only one line in the note directly mentions hydroxychloroquine and it doesn’t actually say anything about whether the president is actually taking the drug;
“After numerous discussions he and I had for and against the use of hydroxychloroquine we concluded the potential benefit from treatment outweighed the relative risks.”
New York Magazine writes, “Considering past missives from Trump’s physicians, the letter from Dr. Connelly was vague to the point of uselessness.”
Trump's letter from his physician on #Hydroxychloroquine
It says that they DISCUSSED the use, risks & benefits of it, but NO where does it say that the doctor began PRESCRIBING it for the President! pic.twitter.com/sjatiU8XxA
— Peter Morley (@morethanmySLE) May 19, 2020
So right now all we have to go on is the president’s word. The problem is his word will create another run on the drug that so many people need for its intended use, treating lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and for the prevention of malaria. With that in mind, we all need to be careful about how we cover Trump’s declaration.
I wish the media would stop saying, “Trump is taking the drug” and instead say, “Trump CLAIMS he’s taking the drug.” To believe he’s taking hydroxychloriquine I’d need to see a livestream of Rep. Pelosi opening a sealed bottle of the drug and feeding it to Trump like a baby bird.
— Glenn Kirschner (@glennkirschner2) May 19, 2020
Since the first huckster walked the planet, people who sell fake cures always pretend to take them.
— Andy Slavitt 🇺🇦 (@ASlavitt) May 19, 2020
It’s so obvious that it’s almost not worth pointing out, but Trump saying he’s taking hydroxychloroquine is one of his oldest media tactics. In this case, say something outrageous to hijack news cycle and distract from 90K dead Americans
— Gabriel Sherman (@gabrielsherman) May 19, 2020
Watch more from MSNBC above.