President Donald Trump now says he was being sarcastic when he appeared to suggest on Thursday that injecting forms of disinfectant into the body could be explored as a potential treatment for coronavirus.
Trump made the clarification in the Oval Office on Friday during the signing ceremony for an additional $484 billion in coronavirus relief that passed through Congress on Thursday. He further argued he hadn’t instructed any doctors to seriously look into the possibility of injecting patients with disinfectant, according to reporters in the room.
“I was asking a question sarcastically to reporters like you just to see what would happen,” he said. “I do think disinfectant on the hands could have a very good effect.”
Trump’s new comments come amid a flood of criticism following his statements at Thursday’s press briefing, when he and the Coronavirus Task Force were discussing bleach, Lysol, and the promising effects of sunlight on killing COVID-19.
“I see the disinfectant, where it knocks [coronavirus] out in one minute. One minute. And is there a way we can do something like that, by injection inside or almost a cleaning,” Trump said. “So it would be interesting to check that.” (RELATED: Can Sunlight Really Kill Coronavirus? Separating The Truth From The Fake News)
Doctors have since warned that there are no circumstances under which it is safe to ingest disinfectant.
Trump says his comments on disinfectant inside people’s bodies was sarcastic pic.twitter.com/t7bPUAUU0u
— Jeff Mason (@jeffmason1) April 24, 2020
The manufacturer of Lysol was quick to release a statement urging customers not to ingest or inject their product.
“As a global leader in health and hygiene products, we must be clear that under no circumstance should our disinfectant products be administered into the human body (through injection, ingestion or any other route),” the statement reads. “As with all products, our disinfectant and hygiene products should only be used as intended and in line with usage guidelines. Please read the label and safety information.”