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President Donald Trump has routinely pushed hydroxychloroquine—an antimalarial drug with strong side effects—as a treatment for the virus that's killed over 170 thousand Americans.
Now, he and his allies are pushing a new and even more unfounded "cure": oleandrin, an extract of the highly toxic oleander plant.
Trump expressed enthusiasm for oleandrin after an Oval Office meeting last week with Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson, as well as MyPillow founder and devout Trump supporter Michael Lindell. Lindell has joined the board of Phoenix Biotechnology, which develops the extract, and now stands to make a profit from the sales of oleandrin.
Lindell appeared on CNN host Anderson Cooper's show on Tuesday, where he attempted to promote oleandrin only to have Cooper take him to task.
Watch below.
Longer clip of Anderson Cooper's interview with My Pillow's Mike Lindell. It's important that we stop people who are trying to profit off of the pandemic based on their close connections with Trump-what he is peddling is ineffective and could be dangerous. pic.twitter.com/uo6jdzF5li
— Amee Vanderpool (@girlsreallyrule) August 18, 2020
Lindell insisted that so-called tests of the extract, which he couldn't cite, had shown promising results and that the treatment would be approved by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA).
As Lindell insisted that he was working to save lives and do the glory of God, Cooper responded:
"You really are like a snake oil salesman. You could be in the Old West standing on a box, telling people to drink your amazing elixir, [but] there's no proof."
When Lindell asked why he'd ruin his reputation to endorse this cure, Cooper's reply was curt:
"You don't have a great reputation. You settled for a million dollars in California, you have an 'F' from the Better Business Bureau."
Cooper was confounded when Lindell asserted that the Better Business Bureau of Minnesota was out to get him for his "support of this great President":
"Oh, sir. That's just sad. That's sad."
Twitter was happy to see Lindell put through the wringer.
Anderson Cooper calls out the My Pillow guy as a snake oil salesman and fraud selling a dangerous nonsense cure during a pandemic. Good. More of this across the board please.
— Wajahat "Wears a Mask Because of a Pandemic" Ali (@WajahatAli) August 18, 2020
Anderson Cooper is on CNN right making the MyPillow guy look like a guy who shouldn't even be allowed to sell pillows.
— W. Kamau Bell (@wkamaubell) August 18, 2020
MyPillow's Mike Lindell is a con artist. Anderson Cooper is making mince meat of this lying sack right now.
— JeremyNewberger (@jeremynewberger) August 18, 2020
Anderson Cooper said not today! I mean, that was quite a thing to watch & listen to. Because, Anderson had had enough.
— deray (@deray) August 18, 2020
Anderson Cooper dragging the MyPillow Guy to where he belongs. 😂 pic.twitter.com/NanxBYItZO
— Baligubadle (@Baligubadle1) August 18, 2020
Anderson Cooper just said "I can guarantee you, Sir, I will not be taking medial advice from you."
Help! I need someone to pick me up off the floor 🤣
— WTFGOP? #BidenHarris2020 (@DogginTrump) August 18, 2020
As Cooper mentioned, Lindell already doesn't have a great reputation.
MyPillow accreditation revoked by the Better Business Bureau
MyPillow offered a buy one get one free deal for $89.97 on its website, but a single MyPillow was available for $49.99 online at other retailers.
Mike Lindell is a conman
https://t.co/e20cJEFIYP via @usatoday
— ☇RiotWomenn☇ (@riotwomennn) August 18, 2020
Mike Lindell is ripping people off with his over-priced pillows. And hurting his country by supporting a maniac like Donald Trump. I bought one of his crappy pillows. It was no better than the Walmart pillow I bought for one-third of the price. Lindell is a con, just like trump.
— donald e whittler (@e_whittler) August 18, 2020
How is it possible that #MikeLindell doesn't realize how bad he's coming across on @CNN?
— Robby Scharf (@Robby525) August 18, 2020
A successful lawsuit found that Lindell overstated the medical benefits of the pillows he peddles.