Transcript of POTUS talking about taking HCQ at roundtable today May 18, 2020

https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1262454442323894272

[note POTUS references Bright, who downplayed HCQ and VA negative report on HCQ. Did the best I could to transcribe]

1:38:22. A lot of good things have come out about the hydroxy, a lot of good things have come out. You'd be surprised at how many people are taking it, especially the front line workers before you catch it the front line workers many, many are taking it.

1:38:37. I happen to be taking it. I happen to be taking it. I'm taking it. Hydroxychloroquine..right now…yeah. Couple of weeks ago started taking it cause I think its good. I've heard a lot of good stories. And if it's not good I'll tell you right I'm not going to get hurt by it. Its been around for 40 years for malaria, for lupus for other things. I take it. Front line workers take it. Lot of doctors take it, excuse me, lot of doctors take it. I take it. I hope to not be able to take it soon because I hope you know they come up with some answer. But I think people should be allowed to.

1:39:15. I got a letter from a doctor the other day from Westchester NY around the area. He didn't want anything. He just said Sir, I have hundreds of patients and I give them hydroxychloroquine, I give them the z-pak which is zithromycin, and I give them zinc. And out of the hundreds of patients, many hundreds of patients, over 300 hundred patients, I haven't lost one. He said, please keep pressing that sir, and if you look at that phony [VA] report that was put in. That report on the hydroxy was given to people that were in extraordinarily bad condition. Extraordinarily bad, people that were dying. No, I think for whatever its worth I'd take it. I would have told you that 3 or 4 days ago but we never had a chance because you never asked me the question…yeah, white house doctor. He [?] recommend it. I asked him what do you think. Well if you'd like it and I said yeah I'd like it, I'd like to take it. A lot of people are taking it. A lot of front line workers are taking hydroxycloroquine. A lot of front …I don't take it because

hey people say oh maybe he owns the company, no I don't own the company.

You know what I want the people of this nation to feel good. I don't want them being sick. And there's a very good chance that this has an impact. Especially early on. But you look at front line workers, you look at doctors and nurses, a lot of them are taking it as a preventative. And they're taking totally unrelated but they take the z-pak or zithromycin for possible infection. Now I haven't taken that other than an original dose because, all you need, or you don't have to take it simultaneously but the zinc you do take.

So I'm taking the two, the zinc and the hydroxy and all I can tell you is so far I seem to be OK.

[asked why did you start taking it, have you been exposed?]

No, not at all, I just said that I've had so many letters from people, like the one I told you about…I got it last week I've got it, would you like a copy of it? I'd love to give you…if you ask Molly she'll give you a copy of it but this is a doctor, he doesn't want anything ..don't know him, I've never heard of him but he treats people that are, that we're talking about and he said out of hundreds of people that he's treated he hasn't lost one and he just wanted me to know about it. That's all. He wasn't saying, gee, could I have dinner with you Mr. President, I'd like to come to the white house. But I've received many such letters. I've received a lot of positive letters and it seems to have an impact and maybe it does, maybe it doesn't but if it doesn't you're not going to get sick or die. This is a pill that's been used for a long time for 30-40 years on the malaria and on lupus too and even on arthritis I guess from what I understand so its been heavily tested in terms of…I was just waiting to see if you light up when I said this, you know when I announced this but I've taken it for about a week and a half now and I'm still here. I'm still here.

[question can you explain what is the evidence for preventative…]. Here you go, are you ready? Here's my evidence. I get a lot of positive calls about it. The only negative I've heard is the study where they gave it, was it the VA, where they gave it…people who aren't big Trump fans gave it. …. And we've done the greatest job maybe of anything in the VA because I've got VA choice and VA accountability both approved.

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