President Trump stuns America with bizarre new virus treatment suggestions

The President has held many bizarre briefings and press conferences since he took office.

In fact, wild, improbable claims are their defining feature.

That’s why they can be such jaw-dropping events and attract large TV audience numbers.

You have to pinch yourself and remember that the man speaking is the President of the United States.

Thursday night may have won the prize for the strangest presidential commentary yet.

From the famous White House briefing room podium, Mr Trump talked about possible Covid-19 treatments that had his medical experts in the room squirming in embarrassment.

Donald Trump promoted the potential value of using ultraviolet light “inside the body” and about injecting disinfectant into patients.

The coordinator of the pandemic task force, Dr Deborah Birx, an eminent HIV immunologist, looked on aghast but somehow managed to stay silent.

Doctors across America are telling their patients to ignore the suggestions of the President or risk dying.

Trump has long advocated for the anti-malarial drug Hydroxychloquine as a potential cure for Covid-19.

A recent small-scale trial showed it was completely ineffective.

All of this weirdness came as America is engaging in a robust debate about reopening the economy.

The cost of the economic paralysis is clear to see.

Last week alone, another 4.4 millions Americans lost their jobs.

That is a staggering 26 million people in five weeks.

That’s why some states are desperate to shake-off the restrictions and open up for business.

The economic pain is palpable.

America is hurting.

Georgia is leading the way and opening up parts of its economy on Friday.

Montana is close on its heels and plans to open up many businesses this weekend.

In California, the surfers are back in the water and golf is allowed again (if you socially distance from your playing partner).

Whether the governors in these states are making huge errors in judgement and risk accelerating a second wave of infections is the big question.

Trump's comments have sparked backlash. Credit: AP

As for the President, his views are proving difficult to pin down.

He was until recently advocating for a rapid reopening of America’s economy.

This week, though, he has been criticising Georgia’s Governor, Brian Kemp, for moving too quickly.

So whether it is Donald Trump’s advocacy of strange and untested Covid-19 treatments, or his timing on reopening the country, the President is leading America on a bizarre journey into a land of quack medical theories and ever-changing views on when to ease restrictions.

It’s leaving many Americans shaking their heads - some in amusement, some in embarrassment, some in horror.

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