Dr. Drew Pinsky defended Vice President Mike Pence from criticism he has faced following his appointment to lead the U.S. response to the coronavirus outbreak.
Since President Trump named Pence to lead the charge last week, reporters and Democratic critics have resurfaced reports of what some have called an inadequate response to a public health crisis in Indiana during Pence’s time as governor of the state.
In 2014, an outbreak of HIV and hepatitis C in rural parts of the state led to a public health emergency. Pence was asked about the need for a needle-exchange program and responded, “I’m going to go home and pray on it.” He also waited two months before calling the 2015 outbreak a public health emergency, eventually enacting a needle-exchange program.
“I don’t know what they’re talking about,” Pinsky, an addiction medicine specialist, told Daily Blast Live late last week about the criticism Pence faced. “We used to point at the way Indiana responded to the opiate of the HIV epidemic as the model for the country. I don’t know what they’re talking about.”
Pinsky, a celebrity doctor who recently flirted with a congressional run against Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff, said Pence’s track record as Indiana governor was the reason he was confident in his abilities to lead the U.S. response.
“They handled them better than most states did, almost any other states,” Pinsky said. “So, I don’t know what the hell people are talking about. That is fake news.”
