Pavlich: The Trump, Cuomo double standard

As the federal government continues to work with states around the country to combat the coronavirus, an interesting and yet predictable double standard has emerged.

As a self-proclaimed “cheerleader for America,” President Trump has been touting hydroxychloroquine for weeks as a potential mitigation drug for the disease.

“I want people to live and I’m seeing people dying. And I see people that are going to die without it. And you know the expression. When that’s happening, they should do it. What really do we have to lose?” he said on April 5. “This medicine has been tested for many years for malaria and for lupus, so it’s been out there. So it’s a very strong, powerful medicine, but it doesn’t kill people. We have some very good results and some very good tests.”

His advocacy of the drug was demonized and classified as dangerous by a number of anchors, reporters and pundits. They accused him of “playing doctor” and giving Americans “false hope.”

At the time Trump promoted the drug, it had already been used to successfully treat COVID-19 patients in Europe. A study out of France showed it was effective.

“French Confirmed COVID-19 patients were included in a single arm protocol from early March to March 16th, to receive 600mg of hydroxychloroquine daily and their viral load in nasopharyngeal swabs was tested daily in a hospital setting. Depending on their clinical presentation, azithromycin was added to the treatment,” the National Institutes of Health said of the study. “Despite its small sample size our survey shows that hydroxychloroquine treatment is significantly associated with viral load reduction/disappearance in COVID-19 patients and its effect is reinforced by azithromycin.”

While the study was criticized for a small sample size and as anecdotal evidence, patients in the U.S. have credited the drug to their recovery from the disease. This includes Michigan state Rep. Karen Whitsett (D), who says it saved her life.

Shortly after Trump touted the drug, New York Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo also confirmed it had promise.

“Hospital administrators, doctors want to have a significant data set before they give a formal opinion. Anecdotally, you’ll get suggestions that it has been effective. But we don’t have any official data yet from a hospital or a quote-unquote study, which will take weeks if not months,” Cuomo said during an April 6 news conference in New York. “There has been anecdotal evidence that it is promising; that’s why we’re going ahead.”

Today, multiple surveys of thousands of doctors show they would not only prescribe the drug to virus patients, but to members of their own family.

“Sixty-five percent of physicians across the United States said they would prescribe the anti-malaria drugs chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine to treat or prevent COVID-19 in a family member,” a recent Jackson & Coker survey, which questioned 1,271 doctors in 50 states, found. “Only 11 percent said they would not use the drug at all.”

When Trump took on the World Health Organization (WHO) last week for “blowing it” and engaging in devastating “China centric” decisionmaking, he was accused of putting global health at risk with a funding freeze. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said his statement could lead to “more body bags.”

“The W.H.O. really blew it. For some reason, funded largely by the United States, yet very China centric. We will be giving that a good look. Fortunately I rejected their advice on keeping our borders open to China early on. Why did they give us such a faulty recommendation?” Trump tweeted.

“They [WHO] called it wrong. They really missed the call. They could have called it months earlier,” he added later at a White House briefing. “They seem to be very China centric so we’re going to look into it. We pay for the majority of the money that we get.”

But then, Cuomo again agreed.

“Where were the horns that should have been triggered back in December and January? Where were the warning signs? Who was supposed to blow the whistle? The president has asked this question, and I think he’s right,” Cuomo said. “The president’s answer is the World Health Organization should’ve been blowing the whistle.”

There was no wrath for his comments about the lack of accurate warning from the WHO. Reporters simply quoted his remarks and moved on. No big condemnations, no barrage of follow-up questions implying the global organization is vital to American health, etc.

The double standard is clear and so is the pro-Democrat bias of most covering this pandemic in the media.

Pavlich is the editor for Townhall.com and a Fox News contributor.