Trump Didn't Suggest People Inject Poison Into Their Veins

We found that Trump never suggested that people inject any type of poison into their veins. Psaki’s comment was in reference to an April 23, 2020 news conference during which Trump said: “I see the disinfectant that knocks it out in a minute, one minute. And is there a way we can do something like that by injection inside or almost a cleaning? 'Cause you see it gets in the lungs and it does a tremendous number on the lungs, so it'd be interesting to check that. So that, you're going to have to use medical doctors with, but it sounds interesting to me, so we'll see.”

After his assertion that injecting disinfectant could potentially cure COVID-19, there were a number of news articles criticizing the statement. Reckitt, the company that manufactures Lysol even issued a statement warning people to never inject their products. He later withdrew his statements, claiming they were sarcasm.

While injecting disinfectants would be toxic, Trump never actually suggested that people administer these injections. He was discussing what he believed could be potential cures and suggested further studies. He did not actually say that people should attempt these supposed remedies. 

Nonetheless, after Trump’s statement, the number of accidental poisonings from household disinfectants did rise drastically. In April 2020, disinfectant poisonings were 121% higher than they were in April of the previous year.