Trump refused to take responsibility for Americans ingesting disinfectant

Listen to this article

On Monday, US President Donald Trump said he will not take responsibility if Americans inject or otherwise consume disinfectant to kill Covid-19. Point to be noted that he suggested it during a Thursday evening press conference. Trump was asked about Maryland’s governor saying his government got calls from people asking if they should. He replied and said, “No, I don’t. I can’t imagine why.” Trump said when informed of Governor Larry Hogan’s comments about calls there. President said Hogan is a Republican. The president on Friday denied seriously suggesting people consume toxic materials after later in Thursday’s briefing saying disinfectant could kill the virus but not via injections.

Trump said on Friday, “I was asking a question sarcastically to reporters, to see what would happen. He claimed he was both asking a sarcastic question to coronavirus task force member Deborah Birx and asking his medical advisers to examine the impact sunlight has on the virus, not disinfectants after a health official had described a study suggesting ultraviolet rays quickly kill Covid-19 cells. It wasn’t immediately confirmed how one could ask sarcastic and serious questions simultaneously. It is noteworthy that a national poll was also released on Monday, showing former Vice President Joe Biden opening a 10-point lead over Trump.

President also said on Thursday evening, “And then I see the disinfectant, where it knocks it out in a minute, one minute. And is there a way we can do something like that by injection inside or almost a cleaning, because, you see, it gets in the lungs and it does a tremendous number.” He then instructed his top public health officials including coronavirus task force member Deborah Birx (a physician who sat statuesque nearby as the president suggested Lysol or 409 injections as Covid-19 treatments) to check that. Birx replied on Thursday night and said, “Not as a treatment”. It obviously undermines the sarcasm claim of the president that he wasn’t addressing her.