President Donald Trump left some people scratching their heads in confusion after he asked if he should take insulin despite the fact that he does not have diabetes. The remarks came during a Rose Garden event Tuesday, during which the president announced a new federal-private initiative to reduce the cost of insulin for American seniors who rely on Medicare.
Trump: I don’t use insulin. Should I be? Huh? I never thought about it. pic.twitter.com/rGv3tLru0d
— Acyn Torabi (@Acyn) May 26, 2020
While announcing the plan, which would limit the co-pay for a month’s supply of insulin to $35, which is approximately a 66 percent reduction to current costs, Trump, who doesn’t use insulin, asked, “Should I be?” He went on to note that he “never thought about it” but that he knows “a lot of people are very badly affected.” The president, who has no known history of diabetes, was later asked by a reporter why he would take insulin.
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When asked by a reporter why he would take insulin, as the president has no known history of diabetes, Trump directed the question to surgeon general Jerome Adams, who explained that “your body, Mr. President, actually makes insulin endogenously.” Adams added that “people such as you and I, we make our own insulin. So yes we do utilize insulin, but we make it ourselves.”
The bizarre moment, which comes on the heels of the announcement that Trump has been taking the controversial anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine as a preventative measure to combat the coronavirus, raised plenty of eyebrows. Social media flooded with responses from confused onlookers questioning the president’s comment. Keep scrolling to see how some people reacted to the president’s peculiar remarks.
wut pic.twitter.com/QctyrxTw2o
— Jo (@JoJoFromJerz) May 26, 2020
I just can’t with him!! He just can’t help his self!! pic.twitter.com/Cle4qkzDkC
— nadine coleman (@nadinecoleman60) May 26, 2020
Does he know it can kill you if you don’t need it 🤔
— Roberta 🌴🏄🏽♀️ (@RobertaByTheSea) May 26, 2020
JFC. Does anyone ever prepare him for these remarks?
— Andrea R MD (@AndreaR9Md) May 26, 2020
Today, Trump threatened to start taking insulin, despite not being diabetic. Last week, Trump claimed he was taking hydroxychloroquine. Last month, Trump talked about ingesting disinfectant. He just keeps threatening to poison himself – and no one cares. Weirdest endgame ever.
— Palmer Report (@PalmerReport) May 27, 2020
Trump ponders out loud if he should take insulin…like sane Presidents do 🤦🏻♀️
— Emily Brandwin (@CIAspygirl) May 26, 2020
— Christine Negrette (@caligirl6767) May 27, 2020
— Lin/#Trumpsanimbecile #staythefuckhome 🆘 (@linmp1031) May 26, 2020
My husband is diabetic & has had several near-death crises related to his diabetes. Diabetes is not a joke. As usual, trump shows no empathy for people who have a disease & must take medication, in this case insulin, in order to survive. What a total ass.
— Susan Longosky (@emmasamma2011) May 27, 2020
This is the man who wants to decide our pandemic response
— Peter Dragon (@ThePeterDragon) May 26, 2020
Warning: If you do not have diabetes and you take insulin at Trump’s outrageous suggestion to protect yourself from the coronavirus, you can drop your blood sugars to such dangerously low levels that you go into a coma. This can lead to severe brain damage and death. Don’t do it.
— Eugene Gu, MD (@eugenegu) May 26, 2020
What the fuck is he talking about
— Brian Drury (@BDGarp) May 26, 2020
— Artie Gordon (@ArtemisGordon1) May 26, 2020
— Benico007 (@benico007) May 26, 2020