“A rightwing Pac-funded video in which a doctor inaccurately claimed that masks are ineffective against coronavirus because the real cure is the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine. Numerous studies have debunked the drug as a treatment for coronavirus, and believe me, we all wish hydroxychloroquine actually worked. If hydroxychloroquine really worked, I’d take an Uber Pool to Times Square to get coughed on by a tourist just for old time’s sake.
The video was viewed over 20 million times before Twitter flagged and removed it, but it has not disappeared; numerous Republican figures, including Trump’s son Don Jr, retweeted it or propagated its claims because they’ve failed on the pandemic response, and because they’re desperate for a magic fix that would make the crisis go away.
Even worse, the doctor in the video, Stella Immanuel, has a long history of outlandish medical claims, such as that gynecological problems are caused by people having sex in their dreams with demons or witches, that alien DNA is used in medical treatments, and that some elected officials are ‘aliens or reptilian’.
Who on Earth could possibly trust a doctor like this? Oh God, why’d I ask? Trump even praised Immanuel as ‘spectacular’ at the White House briefing on Tuesday. Trump later told reporters he was ‘very impressed with her and other doctors that stood with her. I think she made sense.’
Cool, so Trump won’t listen to the renowned infectious disease expert who actually works for him, but he loves the demon sperm lady. Just step back and consider how insane this is. The president can’t be bothered to focus on the things that actually work, like testing, contact tracing, isolation or mask-wearing, but if a crazy person posts a video claiming lizard people are making alien vaccines, his response is: ‘That’s interesting!’” —Seth Meyers
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