Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton took a swipe at President Trump for his public remarks on the coronavirus.
Clinton mocked the president on Tuesday for issuing “medical advice” to Americans amid the pandemic, poking fun at instances in which the president looked directly at the sun during a solar eclipse in 2017.
“Please do not take medical advice from a man who looked directly at a solar eclipse,” she tweeted, a reference to when Trump looked directly at the sun during the eclipse before putting on specialty glasses when prompted by an aide.
Please do not take medical advice from a man who looked directly at a solar eclipse.
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) March 24, 2020
Clinton was also likely referring to Trump’s public optimism about chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, two anti-malarial drugs, as treatments for the virus. The drugs have witnessed increased demand after the president called them “game-changers” last week, requiring states to limit prescriptions for the medicines.
“Everybody knows the level of the negatives and positives, but I will say that I am positive when it comes to particularly one of these drugs. We’ll see how it works. I am not saying it will, but I think that people may be surprised. It is a game-changer. We’ll know very soon,” Trump said at the time.
However, Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and a member of the White House coronavirus task force, said more evidence was required before classifying the drugs as “safe” for those diagnosed with COVID-19.
“What we don’t know … is whether it’s safe. I like to prove things first,” Fauci said.
Pharmacy boards in Texas, Ohio, Idaho, and Nevada have since taken steps to limit prescriptions of the drugs, so those suffering from malaria or facing inflammation issues related to lupus and arthritis can obtain treatment for their conditions.
