Dr. Deborah Birx, the response coordinator for the White House Coronavirus Task Force, is defending President Donald Trump's suggestion that disinfectants could be injected or ingested to treat COVID-19.
“When he gets new information, he likes to talk that through out loud and really have that dialogue and so that's what dialogue he was having.,” Birx told Fox News. “I think he just saw the information at the time immediately before the press conference,.. and he was still digesting that information.”
As Trump made the remarks on Thursday, Birx reacted with visible discomfort, and a video of her seated in the background went viral.
Earlier Friday, Trump claimed he was being sarcastic when he made the remarks, while the White House said the president was just trying to emphasize that Americans should consult with doctors regarding treatment, and accused the media of taking his comments out of context.