1:32
- ABC News
- May 19, 2020
Trump bucks government warnings by taking drug
Public health officials have warned people not to use it.
But Conley did not say whether he had actually prescribed the drug to Trump, whether as a prophylactic or otherwise, and he did not even confirm that Trump was taking it. McEnany told reporters Tuesday morning Trump was, indeed, taking it as he had said the day before.
Conley did note that Trump “receives regular COVID-19 testing, all negative to date.”
Lacking scientific evidence to support his belief in the drug’s effectiveness, Trump on Monday cited “a lot of positive calls” and a letter he received from a New York doctor who reported anecdotal positive results in using the drug on his patients.
The president suggested he would like to make that letter public, but the White House has so far not done so. One senior official on Tuesday suggested it was unlikely to be released, referring to the letter a private correspondence.
The White House has also declined to offer further details about the president’s prescription, the date he began taking the drug, the dosage and frequency, and whether his heart is being regularly monitored to ensure the president is not having a potentially dangerous reaction to the drug.
ABC News' Libby Cathey contributed to this report.
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