dr Deborah Birx said Monday that former President Donald Trump’s infamous “bleach” comments came about because researchers were studying whether disinfectants would be needed to kill COVID-19 in playgrounds, or whether sunlight would be enough.
“It was a tragedy on many levels,” Birx told George Stephanopoulos on Good Morning America. “The first tragedy is the crux of asking the DHS scientists to do the work so kids can get outside and play in playgrounds.”
Birx, who has served as the White House coronavirus response coordinator, has released a new book, Silent Invasion: The Untold Story of the Trump Administration, Covid-19, and Preventing the Next Pandemic Before It’s Too Late, which supplemented the April 23 briefing 2020 describes Zimmer Incident.
dr Deborah Birx said Monday that former President Donald Trump’s infamous “bleach” comments came about because researchers were studying whether disinfectants would be needed to kill COVID-19 in playgrounds, or whether sunlight would be enough
Speaking to Stephanopoulos, she explained how Trump met with Department of Homeland Security scientists, including William Bryan, director of science and technology, ahead of that day’s coronavirus press briefing.
“I wasn’t aware that scientists went into the Oval Office and started this discussion there and continued it in front of America,” Birx recalled.
“In the beginning I didn’t know what was happening,” she continued.
“I couldn’t understand how disinfectants and sunlight for outdoor play equipment came to be like this,” she said. “And I think the scientists and the President had talked about it having a potential therapeutic.”
On the podium, Trump reflected on what would happen if “we hit the body with a tremendous amount of light, be it ultraviolet light or just very strong light.”
“And then I said suppose you bring the light into the body, which you can do either through the skin or some other way. And I think you said you’re going to test that too. Sounds interesting doesn’t it?’ Trump said, looking at the DHS scientists also seated at his side in the White House briefing room.
Birx pointed out to Stephanopoulos that it wasn’t her that Trump sought reassurance from these comments, it was the DHS doctors.
During a coronavirus news conference on April 23, former President Donald Trump misunderstood the Department of Homeland Security’s research and suggested that “light” and “sanitizer,” which might be put into the body “by injection,” could treat COVID-19
Birx, who was serving as the White House coronavirus response coordinator, said Monday that “I didn’t know what was happening” during that April 23 briefing. “I couldn’t understand how disinfectants and sunlight for outdoor play equipment came to be like this,” she said
“And then I see the disinfectant, where it turns it off in a minute, a minute,” the then-president continued.
“And is there a way to do something like this through injection or almost a purification? Because you see it gets into the lungs and causes a tremendous number of lungs,” Trump said.
Towards the end of the briefing, Trump “finally” reached out to Birx to get her admission, the COVID response coordinator said Monday.
“I want you to speak to the doctors to see if there’s a way to use light and heat to heal,” Trump said. “Deborah, have you ever heard of this? The heat and light, relative to certain viruses, yes, but relative to this virus?’
Birx replied “not as a treatment” and attempted to explain, “I haven’t seen heat or light…” when Trump cut her off and said, “It’s a great thing to watch.”
Stephanopoulos then asked Birx about the consequences.
“Well, a lot of people don’t know me, but I’m a pretty straight forward person. So I immediately went to his top staff and to Olivia Troye and said this needs to be undone immediately,” Birx recalled.
Troye was Vice President Mike Pence’s senior associate on the coronavirus task force – who later became a critic of the Trump administration’s COVID response and called for President Joe Biden’s election.
“And the next morning the President said it was a joke,” Birx went on. “But I think he knew very clearly that night that it was dangerous.”
Birx also told Stephanopoulos that all the doctors on the White House coronavirus task force had a pact.
“If any of the individuals were under so much pressure and fired, we would all leave the task force together,” Birx said.
She said the doctors included Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr. Robert Redfield, former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Dr. Stephen Hahn, former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration.
“And I think that was really important because I really wanted to protect Bob Redfield and Steve Hahn and they were under a lot of pressure,” Birx said.