President Donald Trump said Monday he has been taking hydroxychloroquine as a coronavirus preventative treatment for more than a week.
Trump’s comment came during a question and answer session at the end of his meeting with restaurant executives and members of the White House coronavirus task force. (RELATED: Trump Administration Focusing On 2 Key Strategies To ‘Reload’ Strategic National Stockpile For Future Pandemics)
US President Donald Trump looks on during a meeting with resturant executives in the State Dining room of the White House May 18, 2020, in Washington, DC. (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
“A lot of good things have come out about the [hydroxychloroquine],” he told reporters gathered in the White House cabinet room. “You’d be surprised at how many people are taking it, especially the front-line workers before you catch it. The front-line workers — many, many are taking it. I happened to be taking it. I happened to be taking it. Hydroxychloroquine. Right now, yeah. A couple of weeks ago, I started taking it.”
“If it is not good, I will tell you right,” he continued. “I’m not going to get hurt by it. It has been around for 40 years.”
“I’ve taken it for about a week and a half now, and I’m still here.”
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The president added that the White House physician approved his use after Trump said he wished to take the drug as a preventative measure, like many frontline medical workers currently do.
Trump had frequently voiced his support for hydroxychloroquine’s efficacy as a coronavirus therapy throughout much of the pandemic but has scaled back praising the drug in recent weeks.