President Donald Trump is continuing to champion hydroxychloroquine, saying the controversial drug has had “tremendous rave reviews,” despite the potentially deadly side effects it can cause as a treatment for COVID-19. In an interview that aired Sunday morning on Full Measure With Sharyl Attkisson, Trump said he had just finished taking the drug himself. “And by the way I'm still here, to the best of my knowledge, here I am,” Trump said. The president added he has heard “tremendous reports” about the drug and claimed “many people think it saved their lives.”

In late April, Trump’s own Food and Drug Administration warned that “hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine have not been shown to be safe and effective for treating or preventing COVID-19.” Ongoing research on the drug has continued to be troubling. A study published Friday by The Lancet also failed to establish a “a benefit of hydroxychloroquine,” for COVID-19 hospitalized patients and more alarmingly described “a greater hazard for in-hospital death with COVID-19.”  In combination with the antibiotic azithromycin, the drug is linked to a 45 percent increased risk of death, according to the study. In the interview, Trump said he promoted the drug because he wanted “people to get better.” 

“Hydroxy has had tremendous, if you look at it, tremendous rave reviews,” Trump said.