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White House chief coronavirus adviser Deborah Birx cringed in horror and comedians across the country sharpened their feathers: President Donald Trump had just asked if disinfectant could not be injected into victims of the virus.
Even when a new poll shows that most Americans want the former real estate mogul to leave the science to the experts, Trump on Thursday night set a new record in the annals of amateur presidential healthcare.
Buoyed by tentative findings that summer weather may dampen the new coronavirus, Trump used his daily briefing in the national press to ask if the light could be turned into medical treatment.
“Supposing we hit the body in tremendous light, whether it’s ultraviolet or just very powerful,” Trump said. “Assuming you bring light into the body, what you can do through the skin or in some other way.”
Birx and another government medical expert watched cautiously. The President was not finished.
“Then I see the disinfectant, where it kills (the virus) in a minute. One minute. And is there a way to do something like that, injecting inside or almost cleaning? Because you see that it goes into the lungs and does a large number in the lungs. “
Birx grimaced and looked down at the President.
Trump tried to back down his comments on Friday saying he had been speaking “sarcastically” with journalists, but in reality he was clearly addressing government officials and there was no sign of sarcasm in his tone.
After 24 hours of controversy, the president attended a brief press conference on Friday night, but left without answering any questions, a rarity.
Looking for silver bullet
The new coronavirus has already killed more than 50,000 Americans, destroyed the economy and jeopardized Trump’s previously strong march for reelection this November.
With some predicting the need for prolonged social estrangement and only a slow return to economic health, Trump appears to be searching for a silver bullet.
For weeks, it has aggressively lobbied against the treatments for malaria, chloroquine, and hydroxychloroquine against the new coronavirus, even if the evidence for its effectiveness is weak at best.
Rick Bright, who until this week was the head of the US agency trying to develop a real vaccine, says he was fired because he opposed the “wrong” chloroquine crusade.
Now, the government’s preliminary findings on the effects of sunlight and the upcoming summer season have excited Trump.
The origin of the unorthodox idea of disinfectants is less clear, although the report referred to the effects of disinfecting chemicals.
Trump’s suggestion was quickly affected by memes and jokes, as well as by Joe Biden, his alleged Democratic challenger in the November election.
“I can’t believe I have to say this, but please don’t drink bleach,” the former vice president tweeted.
Reckitt Benckiser, the British manufacturer of Lysol and Dettol, felt compelled to issue a statement that sets the absolutely direct record: “Under no circumstances should our disinfectant products be administered to the human body (by injection, ingestion or any other route.”
“Super genius”
A poll released Thursday showed that most Americans, and an overwhelming majority of Democrats, do not believe Trump when it comes to the country’s medical emergency.
Only 28 percent prefer Trump to their state and local governments for information about the virus, according to the AP-NORC survey. Only 23 percent said they trust more or more of the information they provide about the coronavirus.
Sixty percent say they should listen more to the experts.
Brett McGurk, a veteran diplomat and outspoken Trump opponent who resigned over disagreements over Syria, said Trump will not change and that his aides will never escape confusion.
“In any matter, the crazies will catch up with you,” he wrote on Twitter. “There is no policy: you are always a tweet away from everything that goes sideways.”
New White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said disinfectant headlines made no sense and said Trump had always told Americans to “consult with doctors about coronavirus treatment.”
“Let the media irresponsibly take President Trump out of context.”
As for Trump, there is no question about his self-esteem.
“I like these things. I really get it, ”he said in March, at the start of the crisis, about preparations to fight the virus.
Trump said doctors keep asking him, “How do you know so much?”
“Maybe I have a natural ability,” he mused, remembering that he had an uncle whom he describes as a “great super genius.”
“Maybe I should have done that instead of running for president.”
