While Meghan McCain has no plans to take hydroxychloroquine because she’s pregnant, the host, 35, explained on The View, Tuesday, why the controversial medication may be appealing to others. The co-hosts of the morning show were in the midst of a discussion about President Donald Trump‘s admission that he’s been taking hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19, despite testing negative for the deadly virus. And, while Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar and Sunny Hostin all took issue with the president’s recent comments, Meghan admitted that she’s contemplated taking the medication. (Hydroxychloroquine is a medicine that is used to treat malaria. It is also used to treat autoimmune diseases such as, rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, per the The Food and Drug Administration.)
Following her dialogue on The View (seen below), one Twitter user tweeted at Meghan: “Go outside. Wear a mask and be distant. It’s not that hard.”
Meghan caught wind of the tweet and fired back in a lengthy response: “I think if it ‘weren’t that hard’ we wouldn’t be seeing extreme spikes in suicides, opioid overdoses, child abuse, incest reports, and overall mental decline nationally,” she argued. “‘It’s not that hard” is a trite and ignorant response to the very real concerns of this crisis.”
I think if it “weren’t that hard” we wouldn’t be seeing extreme spikes in suicides, opioid overdoses, child abuse, incest reports, and overall mental decline nationally. “It’s not that hard” is a trite and ignorant response to the very real concerns of this crisis. https://t.co/JrKDCH6Ipr
— Meghan McCain (@MeghanMcCain) May 19, 2020
Here’s what Meghan had to say on The View, May 19 when Whoopi introduced the topic of Trump, 73, taking hydroxychloroquine: “There was a moment in my brain where I was like, ‘Is it working? Is hydro-whatever you say, chloroquine working?’ Because at this point I am so desperate to be able to do anything outside of my home. I would do a lot of things to get outside my home. I would inject something,” she said, admitting, “I mean, I’m pregnant so I probably wouldn’t. But, if I weren’t, if someone said, ‘Hey Meghan, you’re gonna have this drug, [where] you’re gonna lose all your hair, but you get to go outside and see your friends and go swimming and go exercise and do all these things, I might do it.”
Meghan McCain really pushed that hydroxychloroquine… But anyone see how when they cut to break she tried to walk it back…#TheView
— Tammi (@TLaTela) May 19, 2020
Meanwhile, Meghan’s co-hosts appeared baffled by her comments. Joy, who attempted not to laugh, shook her head and said, “Stop.”
Meghan took notice and replied: “Stop laughing, Joy! You know it’s true. We’re going on three months of quarantine now, and we’re going on six months more!” She continued, “I know I sound crazy! But he’s still the president. And if I had a moment where I was like, ‘Wait, is that working?’, then a lot of other people are as well. That’s the point I’m trying to make.”
Trump admitted to taking hydroxychloroquine during a press conference on May 18. “I started taking it, hydroxychloroquine,” he said, to which reporters asked when he started taking the drug. “Right now, yeah — a couple of weeks ago I started taking it, because I think it’s good, I heard a lot of good stories.” Trump’s press secretary backed up the president statements the next morning on May 19.
Let us be clear — it has not been proven that hydroxychloroquine is a cure for COVID-19, despite Trump bragging about the medication’s benefits. The FDA has already warned: “Hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine have not been shown to be safe and effective for treating or preventing COVID-19.”