Pelosi Takes Shot at “Morbidly Obese” Trump

By Staff, Agencies

Democratic Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, took a dig at President Trump on Monday, referring to him as being =“morbidly obese”.

Pelosi, D-Calif., was speaking during an appearance on CNN on Monday night and was questioned by the anchor Anderson Cooper as to whether she was "concerned" by Donald Trump's earlier announcement that he had been taking hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malaria drug he previously touted as a possible “game changer” in the fight against COVID-19.

"As far as the president is concerned, he's our president and I would rather he not be taking something that has not been approved by the scientists, especially in his age group and in his, shall we say, weight group - what is it, morbidly obese they say. So I don't think that's a good idea," Pelosi said.

According to the White House physician, last year’s annual physical checkup had shown that at a height of 6ft 3in [190.5 cm], Trump’s weight was 243lb [110kg]. Accordingly, his body mass index scores at 30.4, which is technically obese.

Earlier on Monday, Trump had revealed to reporters that he has been talking hydroxychloroquine, and was prescribed the drug by the White House physician, as a preventive measure against the novel respiratory disease "for about a week and a half now".

"I happen to be taking it. I'm taking it, hydroxychloroquine," said Trump.

He added: "I've heard a lot of good stories [about hydroxychloroquine] and if it's not good, I'll tell you right I'm not going to get hurt by it."

Appearing at a roundtable with restaurant executives, the President added he was also taking zinc as a supplement to ward off the disease, and had received a single dose of the antibiotic azithromycin, reports the BBC.

Trump’s physician Dr. Sean Conley made a statement on the same day, saying:

"After numerous discussions he and I had about regarding the evidence for and against the use of hydroxychloroquine, we concluded the potential benefit from treatment outweighed the relative risks."

As several staffers in the White House tested positive for COVID-19, Trump reiterated he was being tested frequently and had "zero symptoms".