In her short time as White House Press secretary dealing with the press, McEnany has shown that 1) she does her homework and is well prepared for the media gotcha questions and 2) she an absolute pit-bull fighter.
McEnany was asked about President Trump claiming that “a lot of” front-line healthcare workers were taking hydroxychloroquine for coronavirus preventative care.
McEnany used the question to make a point about the media’s hysteria over hydroxychloroquine while bringing CNN’s "Fredo" Cuomo into the discussion.
And one thing I want to note with regard to hydroxychloroquine, because I think it’s very important that we’re as accurate as we can be with our reporting on this: Hydroxychloroquine has been a drug that has been in use for 65 years for lupus, arthritis, and malaria. It has a very good safety profile.
But as with any drug and as with any prescription, it should be given by a doctor to a patient in that context. So no one should be taking this without a prescription from their doctor.
But that being said, I’ve seen a lot of apoplectic coverage of hydroxychloroquine. You had Jimmy Kimmel saying the President is, quote, “trying to kill himself by taking it.” You had Joe Scarborough saying, quote, “This will kill you.” Neil Cavuto saying, “What have you got to lose? One thing you have to lose are lives.” And you had Chris Cuomo saying, “The President knows that hydroxychloroquine is not supported by science. He knows it has been flagged by his own people and he’s using it.”
Well, Cuomo mocked the President for this. And interestingly, I found this out just before coming here: Hydroxychloroquine, of course, is an FDA-approved medication with a long-proven track record for safety. And it turns out that Chris Cuomo took a less safe version of it called quinine, which the FDA removed from the market in 2006 because of its serious side effects, including death. So, really interesting to have that criticism of the President.
And on that note to Chris Cuomo, I’d like to redirect him to his brother, the Governor of New York, Governor Cuomo, who has several on-the-record statements about hydroxychloroquine, saying, “I’m an optimist. I’m hopeful about the drug, and that’s why we’ll try it here in New York as soon as we get it. There has been anecdotal evidence that it’s promising. That’s why we’re going ahead.” And I have about eight other quotes from Governor Cuomo should any of you have interest in that.
Masterful.