MSNBC host Andrea Mitchell on Wednesday called President Donald Trump “effective” at “communication” about his controversial use of the drug hydroxychloroquine to prevent COVID-19.
Mitchell’s remarks came after presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden slammed Trump’s promotion of hydroxychloroquine.
“Come on, man, what is he doing?” Biden exclaimed during an interview on Tuesday. “What in God’s name is he doing?”
On Wednesday, Mitchell asked Biden campaign spokesperson Kate Bedingfield about Trump’s hydroxychloroquine fascination.
“What about the decision by the president to take this drug?” Mitchell asked. “And the other advice that he’s giving. A lot of people are going to listen to that.”
“But he is being effective, isn’t he,” the MSNBC host added, “in terms of the way he’s communicating his point of view?”
“I don’t think so,” Bedingfield replied. “If you have the president of the United States suggesting that people should take a dangerous, unproven, untested drug, that is not successful communication.”
The Biden staffer said that Trump’s tactics are “a political distraction” to divert attention away from “how we got in this crisis.”
“People don’t have to settle for this kind of leadership,” she continued. “They don’t have to settle for a president who has so badly mismanaged this crisis that we now have 36 million Americans applying for unemployment.”
