Trump claims hydroxychloroquine study was an 'enemy statement' as he defends his use of unproven COVID-19 drug

Speaking with reporters on Tuesday, President Donald Trump defended his decision to promote the use of the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The president said Monday that he was taking the medication, which he claimed could help people prevent becoming infected with the novel coronavirus.

"The FDA warned that hydroxychloroquine could cause serious side effects. Why do you promote the use of this drug when you're not a doctor?" a reporter asked him on Tuesday.

"Well, I have worked with doctors. If you look at the one survey, the only bad survey they were giving it to people in bad shape, they were very old, almost dead. It was a Trump enemy statement," Trump replied.

The president was apparently referring to research that analyzed medical records of 368 male veterans and found no benefit in the treatment of COVID-19.

Trump insisted that many medical workers were in favor of the drug.

"If it was somebody else other than me, people would say, gee, isn't it smart?" he complained.

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