Pelosi and Trump trade insults after the speaker calls him ‘morbidly obese’
The Speaker of the House says that she was shocked the president was offended since he has teased others about their weight in the past
Nancy Pelosi called Donald Trump, "morbidly obese," while addressing the president is taking hydroxychloroquine to prevent catching the coronavirus.
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#PresidentPlump became a trending topic on Twitter after Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi called President Donald Trump, “morbidly obese,” while discussing the fact that the president is taking hydroxychloroquine to prevent catching the coronavirus.
READ MORE: Nancy Pelosi shreds Donald Trump’s State of the Union speech. Right there on the podium.
When asked on Monday night by CNN about Trump taking the unproven treatment, Pelosi said she would “He’s our President,” she said, “I’d rather he not be taking something that has not been approved by the scientists.”
She added, “Especially in his age group, and in his, shall we say, weight group, morbidly obese, they say.”
The comments have been called “fat-shaming.”
Epidemiologist and former Michigan gubernatorial candidate, Dr. Abdul El-Sayed who is also a CNN commentator said that the comments perpetuate “a culture of political mudslinging that allows honest criticism of the dangerous things he’s done to be dismissed as petty partisanship.” He called for Democrats to “focus.”
Sorry, calling Trump #morbidlyobese just ain’t it.
It perpetuates a culture of political mudslinging that allows honest criticism of the dangerous things he’s done to be dismissed as petty partisanship.
Also, fat-shaming drives obesity stigma. It’s not cool or funny.
Focus.
— Abdul El-Sayed (@AbdulElSayed) May 19, 2020
In response to the comments, the president called Pelosi “a sick woman,” He said, “She’s got a lot of problems.”
According to a report by The Hill, Pelosi fired back by saying in an interview Tuesday with MSNBC’s Nicolle Wallace, “I didn’t know that he would be so sensitive. He’s always talking about other people’s … weight, their pounds.”
“I think he should recognize that his words weigh a ton.” She continued, “Instead of telling people to put Lysol into their lungs or taking a medication that has not been approved except under certain circumstances, he should be saying what your previous guest mentioned, things that would help people.”
Hydroxychloroquine, which is a malaria drug and also used to treat lupus, has not been proven to treat coronavirus. While the White House has confirmed that the president is taking the medication, they have not stated what his dosage is.
READ MORE: Fast food Trump is obese, but in overall good health, his doctor says
There are clinical trials to see how the drug helps the virus. However, these trials are privately conducted to determine if the drug is safe and effective for treating COVID-19. Last month, the Food and Drug Administration issued a warning saying that people shouldn’t take it outside of clinical trials because of potential heart complications.
CNN reported that while the president is overweight, he is not technically “morbidly obese.”