Anderson Cooper to MyPillow CEO: ‘You really are like a snake oil salesman’

CNN’s Anderson Cooper slammed MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell on Tuesday, a fear President TrumpDonald John TrumpThe Memo: Democrats pitch Biden as the back-to-normal candidate Obama congratulates Biden with formal nomination Jill Biden gives personal portrait of man Joe MORE supporter, for printing an unproven therapeutic treatment for coronavirus, from which the sale may benefit him.

“You are actually a seller of snake oil. I mean, you can stand in the Old West on a box telling people to drink your great elixir that there’s no proof [of], ”Cooper Lindell said in an interview.

Lindell listed oleandrin as a potential therapeutic for COVID-19. Last week, he was added to the board of Phoenix Biotechnology, which makes oleandrin, receiving a financial stake in the company, CNN reported.

Lindell confirmed to CNN on Monday that Trump attended a meeting in July at the White House regarding the use of oleandrin, an extract of the plant Nerium oleander, as a potential treatment for coronavirus.

>> @AndersonCooper to MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell: “You really are like a snake oil salesman.” pic.twitter.com/ENeSUfgc0J

– Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) August 18, 2020

Lindell defended his drive of the drug, claiming he gave it to friends and family and it “saved her life.”

“I’m doing what Jesus did to me,” he told Cooper.

‘You think Jesus wants you to remove here remedies that … [have] never checked? Cooper asked.

‘Why would I do this? Are you wondering why I would ruin my reputation if I did not believe in this product? Lindell responded.

Cooper said he thinks Lindell does it for money, adding that he does not think Lindell has a great reputation.

Lindell claimed it was a therapeutic test, but when impressed, it failed to provide details on which study he was referring to, although he said the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been conducting the investigation since April.

“One hundred percent, you’re just misunderstood because the media is trying this great cure that works for everyone,” he said.

An FDA spokesman was not immediately available for comment.

Asked Monday about oleandrin, Trump told reporters, “We’ll see.”

“We look at a lot of different things. I will say that the FDA has been great. They are very close. We’re very close to a fax machine. Very close to a therapeutic. “I have heard the name mentioned, we will find out,” the president said.