U.S. President Donald Trump said he is taking hydroxychloroquine, the anti-malaria drug that he’s promoted as a treatment to combat coronavirus infection, despite government warnings that it can cause serious side effects.
Trump said Monday at the White House that he’s been taking the drug for about a week and a half. Vice President Mike Pence’s press secretary, Katie Miller, tested positive for coronavirus on May 8. Trump was not seen in Pence’s company following the diagnosis until Monday, when the vice president joined him for a meeting with restaurateurs.
Trump is a self-admitted germophobe, telling reporters he was wary of shaking hands even before the coronavirus pandemic, and theatrically distancing himself from former patients during press events.