President Trump‘s physician on Monday confirmed that the president is now taking the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine despite not having the coronavirus, saying he and Trump concluded “the potential benefit from treatment outweighed the relative risks.”
In a 114-word letter released by the White House hours after Trump announced he was taking the medication, presidential physician Sean Conley wrote that he discussed the pros and cons of taking the drug with Trump after one of his personal valets tested positive for the coronavirus.
But the letter contained no specifics on when Trump started taking the drug or what his dosage is.ADVERTISEMENT
“In consultation with our inter-agency partners and subject matter experts around the country, I continue to monitor the myriad studies investigating potential COVID-19 therapies, and I anticipate employing the same shared medical decision making based on the evidence at hand in the future,” Conley wrote.
Trump told reporters earlier Monday he had started taking the controversial drug, which he has championed as a potential treatment for coronavirus despite limited evidence from the medical community.
The president said he consulted with the White House doctor about taking hydroxychloroquine, but it was not explicitly recommended for him since he has not tested positive for the virus.
“I asked him what do you think,” Trump said. “He said, ‘Well, if you’d like it.’ I said, ‘Yeah, I’d like it. I’d like to take it.’ “