Donald Trump has hit out angrily at a reporter who quizzed him over his claim an untested drug could treat coronavirus, saying the question was “very nasty”.
At a briefing on Friday at the White House, the president repeated a claim – denounced by his own top medical experts – that an anti-malarial drug called chloroquine might be used to treat coronavirus. He had previously said it could be “a game-changer”.
Pressed about his earlier comments about chloroquine, which the federal drug administration (FDA) has said has not been cleared to treat coronavirus, the president said: “We have nothing to lose.”
He was then asked if he was improperly giving Americans false hope by seemingly championing a drug that was unproven at dealing with Covid-19.
“Is it possible that your impulse to put a positive spin on things may be giving Americans a false sense of hope,” asked NBC News reporter Peter Alexander.
Mr Trump said: “No I don’t think so. It may work, it may not work. I feel good about. That’s all it is, it’s a feeling.”
The president was then asked what would he say to people who were scared.
He replied: “I would say that you’re a terrible reporter, that’s what I’d say... I think that’s a very nasty question.”
He was then asked by another reporter if it was appropriate to attack a member of the media, especially during a global crisis.
Mr Trump said: “I think that Peter is not a good journalist when it comes to fairness.”
One of the nation’s top health officials, Anthony Fauci, director of the national institute of allergy and infectious diseases, was asked if the there was any evidence he could point to that chloroquine, whose potential is being examined by a number of governments around the world, might work.
“The answer is no – you’re asking about anecdotal evidence,” he said. “We’re trying to strike a balance to make something with potential effect available, but trying to gather evidence of safety and efficacy.”
