White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany on Wednesday defended President Donald Trump's off-label use of hydroxychloroquine, insisting that people have a "right to try" the drug "in the waning days" of their lives.
"The doctor did prescribe it for him," McEnany told CBN's David Brody. "And he took it after having several discussions with Dr. Conley about its efficacy and he believed -- Dr. Conley -- that the benefits outweighed the risks for the president."
The press secretary noted that the drug has been used for decades for conditions other than COVID-19.
"It was issued an emergency use authorization to use this as essentially like a right to try," she added. "So, if you're someone who has this, who is looking for a therapeutic, who has COVID and is looking for a therapeutic, hydroxychloroquine is something some doctors professed optimism about."
"You do have a right to try it," McEnany said. "It gives people a right to try in the waning days of their life when they are facing a fatal illness."
On Tuesday, Trump said that people who had passed away while taking hydroxychloroquine in a Veterans Administration study were "ready to die."
Watch the video below from CBN.
