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What is hydroxychloroquine and is it safe?
Hydroxychloroquine is a drug used to treat acute malaria, lupus, and some types of arthritis.
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It is a derivative of chloroquine, which is also used to treat malaria.
It is widely used to treat rheumatic diseases as it can reduce inflammation, pain, and swelling.
The drug is on the World Health Organisation's List of Essential Medicines, the safest and most effective medicines needed in a system.
However, it is not free of risk: common side effects of taking it include vomiting, headache, changes in vision, and muscle weakness, while severe side effects can include allergic reactions, vision problems, and heart problems.
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What has Trump said about taking the drug?
Mr Trump said he took the drug daily with zinc, "because I think it's good. I've heard a lot of good stories."
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What has Trump said about taking the drug?
Mr Trump said he took the drug daily with zinc, "because I think it's good. I've heard a lot of good stories."
What is hydroxychloroquine and why is it controversial?
What's the official advice about taking hydroxychloroquine?
"I'm taking it, hydroxychloroquine, right now, yeah. A couple of weeks ago, I started taking it.”
Mr Trump said his use of the medicine was approved by the White House physician, Sean Conley, but said that it was he, not his doctor, who took the first step
"I asked him, 'what do you think?' He said, 'if you'd like it.' I said 'yeah, I'd like it.'"
Trump said he has received many "positive calls" from people telling him about the malaria drug. He said he had received a letter from an unidentified New York doctor, who said he had given the drug to hundreds of patients and "I haven't lost one."
"It seems to have an impact, and maybe it does, maybe it doesn't but if it doesn't, you're not going to get sick or die," Trump added. "I take a pill every day. At some point I'll stop."
He told reporters he showed "zero symptoms” of Covid-19
"Every couple days they want to test me, you know, for obvious reasons,” he said. “I mean I am the president, so they want to test me. I don't want to be tested but they want to test me," he said. "I've shown always negative."
Mr Trump has also retweeted claims America’s leading infectious disease expert, Dr Anthony Fauci, misled the US on hydroxychloroquine by refusing to endorse the use of the anti-malaria drug in combating Covid-19.
Commenting on Mr Trump's remarks regarding the drug, Dr Stephen Griffin, associate professor in the School of Medicine, University of Leeds, said they were “a staggering, irresponsible act that could very well also amount to self-harm”.
He warned that hydroxychloroquine is prescribed and monitored carefully because of its potential side effects. He said people following Mr Trump’s example could “endanger themselves”.
Former Government chief scientific adviser Sir David King said of Mr Trump: “Every word he says should be ignored in terms of advice”.
He added: “I’m sorry but this is not the pronouncements of a person who is listening to the scientists. He is making it up as he goes along.”
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