This new letter from Donald Trump’s doctor isn’t helping his case
Earlier today, Donald Trump publicly announced that he’s been taking hydroxychloroquine for the past week and a half, to fend off the coronavirus as it works its way through the White House. The trouble: most people think he’s lying. Now Trump’s doctor has produced a letter, but it’s not exactly helping his case.
Donald Trump’s White House doctor Sean P. Conley has released a letter which appears to support the claim that Trump is indeed taking hydroxychloroquine. But there are two reasons for pause. First, Conley is active duty Navy, and if Trump has ordered him to lie about this, he has to lie about it. Second, the wording of the letter is tricky.
Dr. Conley’s letter says this: “After numerous discussions he and I had regarding the evidence for and against the use of hydroxychloroquine, we concluded the potential benefit from treatment outweighed the relative risks.” Note that this does not/i> actually say that he gave the drug to Trump – only that he agrees with Trump about the potential benefit.
If the point of this letter is to confirm that Donald Trump really is taking hydroxychloroquine why is it watered down with weasel wording? It’s almost as if the doctor was trying to split the difference between following an order from his Commander-in-Chief and not lying. In any case, most people still aren’t going to believe Trump is on this drug – and it’s an ugly scandal for him either way.
