Trump says his comment “injecting disinfectants” was a sarcasm

The president received widespread criticism for his advice about how to cure COVID-19.

President Donald Trump said on Friday that his speech on injecting disinfectants to cure COVID-19 was just sarcasm, after doctors’ reactions with freight and disinfectant manufacturers requested people not to inject the poisonous in any case.

“I was asking a question sarcastically to reporters just like you, just to see what would happen,” Trump responded on Friday in a bill signing for the COVID-19 aid package. “I was asking a sarcastic and a very sarcastic question to the reporters in the room about disinfectant on the inside. But it does kill it, and it would kill it on the hands, and it would make things much better.”

But the president’s speech the day before — a lengthy loose talk about disinfectant or powerful light that can be used for fighting the virus — did not sound like sarcasm; in fact, they were directed at Homeland Security officials.

Ingesting or injecting disinfectants into the body is terrifically dangerous, and doctors immediately responded to the president’s suggestion by calling it “irresponsible” and “dangerous.”

Trump denied that he wasn’t asking the experts for the investigation of the issue, and many times repeated that the disinfectant could kill or damage viruses under sunlight or even on hands. Trump said that he was asking the experts and officials to find out the ways how “the sun can help us.”

On Thursday, briefing in the conference held at the House, Trump said, “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.” He added, “Because you see it gets in the lungs and it does a tremendous number on the lungs. So it would be interesting to check that. So, that, you’re going to have to use medical doctors with. But it sounds, it sounds interesting to me.”

President also asked the coronavirus response coordinator, Dr. Deborah Birx, during the conference at the White House to ask the experts and doctors about how heat and light from the sun can be used for the treatment of this deadly virus.

Dr. Birx said, “Not as a treatment, certainly fever is a good thing when you have a fever, it helps your body respond. But I have not seen heat or light…”

Trump replied to Dr. Birx’s statement that “I think it’s a great thing to look at.”