Dr. Birx on Trump's comments about sunlight and disinfectant curing coronavirus
Dr. Deborah Birx joins Jesse Watters to discuss President Trump's recent comments on sunlight and disinfectant helping to cure the coronavirus.
White House coronavirus response coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx defended President Trump in an interview on "Watters' World" that aired Saturday, saying the president meant no harm by inquiring about using disinfectant to possibly treat coronavirus.
Trump, in his White House coronavirus task force briefing Thursday, appeared to suggest that light and disinfectants, respectively, might have the potential to treat the coronavirus -- prompting a number of stories condemning the comments, others seeking to defend the president and a scathing tweet from presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. The president has since said he was being "sarcastic" with his comments.
TRUMP, OFFICIALS SUGGEST CORONAVIRUS IS WEAKENED BY SUNLIGHT AND HUMIDITY
"We heard from DHS [Department of Homeland Security], one of the scientists on Thursday say that sunlight, increased temperature and humidity could have an effect on killing the virus in the air, on surfaces," host Jesse Watters said on "Watters' World" Saturday. "And the president spitballing and he's asking questions: Would it be possible to maybe target the virus through a cure using certain ingredients or using sunlight?"
"You didn't believe the president was putting anybody in danger, did you?" Watters asked Birx.
"No, when [he] gets new information, he likes to talk that through out loud and really have that dialogue," Birx said. "And so that's what dialogue he was having."
Trump had reacted to Bill Bryan, the head of the science and technology directorate at the Department of Homeland Security, who presented the findings of the federal government's study on sunlight, humidity and temperature's effect on the coronavirus -- as well as various disinfectants on the virus when it is on surfaces.
TRUMP CLAIMS HE WAS BEING SARCASTIC ABOUT CORONAVIRUS DISINFECTANT COMMENTS
"Question that probably some of you are thinking of if you're totally into that world, which I find to be very interesting. So supposing we hit the body with a tremendous, whether it's ultraviolet or just very powerful light. And I think you said that hasn't been checked but you're going to test it," Trump said Thursday.
"And then I said, supposing you brought the light inside the body, which you can do either through the skin or in some other way. And I think you said you're gonna test that, too. Sounds interesting, right?"
Trump continued: "And then I see the disinfectant where it knocks it out in a minute. One minute. And is there a way we can do something like that by injection inside or, or almost a cleaning? Because you see it gets on the lungs and it does a tremendous number, so it will be interesting to check that. So that you're going to have to use medical doctors. But it sounds, it sounds interesting to me. So we'll see.
"But the whole concept of the light, the way it kills it in one minute, that's, that's pretty powerful," Trump added.
EPA SAYS 'DO NOT INGEST' DISINFECTANTS AFTER CONTROVERSY OVER TRUMP CORONAVIRUS COMMENTS
The president has since said he was being “sarcastic” when he seemingly suggested that household disinfectants could be used as a treatment for the novel coronavirus. Regardless, the comments prompted the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to warn Americans not to “ingest disinfectant products."
Birx on Saturday suggested Trump may have just received the information before the press conference Thursday, saying "he was still digesting that information."
"The president has always put health and safety first," Birx said. "I think you can see that in the way that he was supportive of slowing the spread guidelines, knew the impact that would have on the economy."
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"Yet he realized that the health and safety of Americans was his number one interest and responsibility," Birx added. "And that's what he did first and continues to do as we begin to open up."
Fox News' Brooke Singman and Tyler Olson contributed to this report.
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