Did you see today’s Press Conference?
If not, here it is:
During today’s press conference, Greg Abbott brought up the cluster outbreak we wrote about on April 4 in Texas City. Although 83 residents at that facility tested positive for COVID-19, Abbott failed to mention it. He also failed to mention that a big reason this happened was that Texas has to yet order a shelter-in-place or that Galveston County only called for a shelter-in-place 4 days after the first resident at that home tested positive.
Then, he went on to say that 30 of them are being tested with Trump’s malaria drug, also known as hydroxychloroquine. As we mentioned last week, at this particular nursing home, they tested 143 people for COVID-19 and are still waiting on many of the results.
If hydroxychloroquine suddenly sounds familiar to you, it’s the drug Trump keeps bragging about, as well as the medicine that caused the on-air disagreement between Trump and Dr. Fauci.
Why is this drug controversial?
Medical experts and scientists have been all over the TV arguing about whether this drug is safe or not, as it has been untested for COVID-19. Hydroxychloroquine has been used for decades as a medication to treat malaria and lupus and in the past few weeks has been something Trump hasn’t been able to shut up about this malaria drug being a cure, despite a lack of scientific evidence that it’s effective against COVID-19. As Trump himself said, “maybe it will work, maybe it won’t.”
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has authorized the drug for “emergency use” among some coronavirus patients “for whom a clinical trial is not feasible.” However, medical experts caution not only is it untested, but it also carries significant risks, including heart arrhythmia that can lead to cardiac arrest.
The FDA has had established a clear, well-defined pathway for years that helps terminally ill Americans get access to unapproved, still-experimental treatments. They approve roughly 99% of those “compassionate use” requests. Which is what has happened here. The intentions of Trump and Abbott are clear, terminally ill patients should be given access to hydroxychloroquine, regardless of any consequences, since they’re likely to die if a dramatic intervention isn’t undertaken.
Who’s behind Trump’s big push for this malaria drug?
Peter Navarro, who is one of Trump’s economic advisers as well as the policy coordinator overseeing the enforcement of the Defense Protection Act. Here are the titles of a few books he wrote: The Coming China Wars and Death by China. He has also been a driving force behind Trump’s trade wars and tariffs on a wide variety of Chinese products.
Navarro had also spent months working on an executive order for Trump. This order bolsters to “Buy American First.” The order federal agencies to purchase American-made pharmaceuticals and medical equipment.
While most Americans agree that a global pandemic shouldn’t be political, leave it to Trump to make it all about himself and all about politics.
Call me old fashioned, but when did it become OK to use the elderly as guinea pigs?
While there has been a lot of speculation on Twitter. Possibly the reason Trump is hawking this drug so hard is that he’s possibly making money or in some way will profit off it. So, we decided to look into the makers of Trump’s malaria drug and find out their relationship with Trump.
Bayer/Monsanto: I’m sure neither need any type of introduction. Trump’s EPA went to bat for Bayer as they fought a $25 million verdict, last year. In fact, Trump was meeting with Bayer and Monsanto prior to his election, and in 2018 got approval from Trump’s DOJ to merge.
Novartis: As it turns out, Novartis had a multi-million dollar contract with Trump’s disgraced former lawyer, Michael Cohen. In fact, they paid Cohen $100,000 a month for “access to the president’s attitudes on health care policy.”
Mylan: Mylan basically ripped off the government by misclassifying EpiPen. So, they didn’t have to give Medicaid recipients a discount as the law requires. Medicaid programs paid $1.27 billion more for EpiPens than they should have between 2006 and 2016. Then Trump let them off of the hook for it.
Teva Pharmaceuticals: People who were either formerly compensated or formerly employed by Teva went to work for the Trump administration. They took positions in Education, the Federal Trade Commission, Health and Human Services, and Labor.
Knowing all of this information, we should all ask ourselves, how much do we trust Trump? Is he going to profit from hydroxychloroquine, or is he simply paying back favors? Perhaps it’s both.
Where does Greg Abbott fit in to all of this?
It’s already been established that Abbott will do anything he can not go against Trump or anger Trump. That includes putting millions of Texans’ lives on the line by not ordering a shelter-in-place, with Trump’s guidance, of course.
Knowing everything we know now, we should also be asking ourselves, how much do we trust Greg Abbott?
Update – 4/7/20: The Texas Tribune just wrote an eye-popping article. It’s about how the doctor from the nursing home in Texas City is a campaign surrogate for Donald Trump. It’s a MUST read!
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Abbott will go to any lengths not to anger his boyfriend. He has shown that many times over the years. It’s been at least 20 years since a Democrat has occupied the Governor’s Mansion. It’s time for another one.
He will literally sacrifice Texans to appease his Cheetoe King.