Even Fox News isn't buying Trump's claim bleach-drinking advice was 'sarcasm'

Donald Trump attempted on Friday to walk back his Thursday suggestion that COVID-19 patients could be treated by injecting disinfectant into their bodies, claiming his comments had been merely “a very sarcastic question to the reporters.”

Even the very pro-Trump Fox News was not buying it.

On Friday’s “Outnumbered,” Fox’s chief political anchor Brett Baier was asked about Trump’s “sarcasm” excuse.

MELISSA FRANCIS (host): He claims he didn’t ask medical experts to look into it. He was simply asking a sarcastic question. What is your thought on that?

 

BRETT BAIER: Well, that’s not how it looked in the briefing, and not how it came across in the briefing.

 

What’s problematic for this president is that sometimes he goes on these riffs. And when you’re dealing with medical things, statements, when you are riffing from a podium — sometimes that works great on other topics, when politics comes into play — but when riffing about possible cures or treatments, it didn’t seem like it was coming off as sarcastic when he was talking and turning to [Coronavirus Response Coordinator Dr. Deborah] Birx on the side.

 

Obviously, this spurred all kinds of coverage. It’s spurred a statement by Lysol not to inject its products. It spurred the FDA to put out something, as well. And obviously, this is his answer to all of that criticism.

 

But the president does get himself into these issues. I don’t think he wants to cause any harm to anyone, obviously. And no one at home thinks, “You know what? I’m going to go drink bleach.” I don’t think.

 

But it is something that he clearly stepped in, here.

 

FRANCIS: Yeah, it’s a distraction.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.