The U.S. President Donald Trump surprised the world by confessing that he has been taking the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine to prevent COVID-19.

The speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, is one of the first American politicians to come up with a piece of advice for the president. She said that Trump should at least consider his age and weight group before taking such steps, justifying the action of taking hydroxychloroquine by Trump as not a good idea.

Trump’s shocking revelation has been criticized across the country, especially because the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) itself issued a warning against the use of drug hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19 due to underlying risks of the heart arrhythmia.

Adding to the criticism, Pelosi said that Trump should not be taking anything which is not approved by the scientists.

"As far as the President is concerned, he's our President and I would rather he not be taking something that has not been approved by the scientists, especially in his age group and in his, shall we say, weight group -- morbidly obese, they say. So, I think it's not a good idea,” she said during the interview .

Trump retaliated to Pelosi’s concerns stating that she is a “sick woman” and a “waste of time” and he prefers not to respond to her.

In another completely unrelated question concerning his former national security adviser Michael Flynn, Trump dragged Pelosi again in his answer in response to ger labeling him as “morbidly obese” on the national television and ended up alleging that she has “mental problems.”

“ Pelosi is a sick woman. She's got a lot of problems, a lot of mental problems. We’re dealing with people that have to get their act together for the good of the country,” he said.

Meanwhile, Pelosi is not the only renowned leader to have pointed out Trump’s actions concerning COVID-19 prevention. The U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson also said that hydroxychloroquine is not being recommended by the doctors in his country and they can only follow what they are advised.

But the question remains – is Trump morbidly obese? The answer is, no.

There is no term as “morbidly obese.” A body mass index (BMI) of over 30 falls under the category of “obese,” while that above 40 is known as “severely obese.” During his last health check-up in 2019, Trump’s BMI came out to be around 30.4, which is far from being called “extremely” or “severely” obese.

Trump revealed on Monday, May 18, that he has been taking hydroxychloroquine as well as zinc for prevention against COVID-19. Public health officials and organizations around the world have insisted on not taking the anti-malaria drug to prevent coronavirus because of associated health risks.

Donald Trump
Donald Trump Photo: Getty Images

© 2024 Latin Times. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.