“a person who forsakes his religion, cause, party, etc.” — e.g. Neil Cavuto

AP Photo/Richard Drew

Neil Cavuto is the Fox News anchor/commentator who talks about all things business. However, following President Trump’s press conference on Monday, Cavuto abruptly switched gears to address a continuing controversy in the president’s remarks.

“A lot of good things have come out about the Hydroxy, things have come out,” Trump said. “And you’d be surprised that a lot of people are taking it, especially the frontline workers before you catch it. The frontline works, many of them are taking it. I happen to be taking it. I happen to be taking it.”

The press immediately jumped in to confirm what the president had just said.

“I happen to be taking it,” Trump repeated. “A couple of weeks ago, I started taking it because I’ve heard a lot of good stories.”

Perhaps the president should watch his favorite channel for this story.

After that press conference, a deeply concerned Cavuto came on the air with a stark warning to viewers.

“A VA study showed that a population of veterans in the hospital receiving this treatment, those with vulnerable conditions – respiratory conditions, heart ailments – they died,” Cavuto said.

Neil Cavuto is one of the few Fox personalities who has gained credibility for his honest reporting of business and market conditions. He recognized that his statement — regarding a drug the president is using was aimed at all Americans, especially Trump supporters — would get the attention it deserved.

“There are also a number of other studies out,” Cavuto continued, “including the Journal of the American Medical Association, which examined some 1,438 individuals in the New York area across 25 hospitals from the middle of March to the end of March. The study was a real chance to look at the benefits that the president insisted were from Hydroxychloroquine. They concluded that among residents hospitalized, in metropolitan New York with Covid-19, the treatment, compared with [no] treatment, [there were] no statistical differences.”

Reading from his notes, Cavuto cited several other studies that show that there “were no visible differences, that the risk of intubation or death were not significantly higher or lower among patients who received hydroxy and those who did not.”

On Monday, Trump suggested that the VA study was conducted “with people that aren’t big Trump fans.”

Once again, this president reacts by attacking any statement, news report, or expert that does not align with his “gut.”

Cavuto disputed Trump, saying that the study “to which the president alluded to, wasn’t a loaded political one. It was a test on patients [in the VA] and those who took it, in a vulnerable population, including those with respiratory and other conditions, they died.”

Looking straight into the camera, Cavuto emphasized, “I want to stress, again, they died!”

“If you are in a risky population, and you are taking this as a preventative treatment to ward off the virus, or, in a worst-case scenario, you’re dealing with the virus, and you are in this vulnerable population, it will kill you!

“I cannot stress enough,” Cavuto repeated, “This… Will… Kill… You!

The Fox anchor warned, “whatever benefits the president says this has, and it certainly has had for those who suffered from malaria and dealing with lupus, this is a leap that should not be taken casually by those watching at home, or assuming that the president of the United States says it’s okay.

“Even the FDA,” Cavuto said, “is very cautious about this unless [you are undergoing] a clinical trial [and are] safely and deliberately watched.”

Cavuto’s words were aimed at those who follow and support what President Trump says and does. “I only make this not to make a political point, but to make a life and death point. Be very, very careful.”

But Cavuto’s sober and cautious warning conflicted with the Fox party line.

Immediately after Cavuto’s show ended, Fox News host Greg Gutfeld of “The Five,” encouraged viewers to take the drug. “If it’s available to you and you can take it, you do it,” Gutfeld said. “That’s a prudent way of looking at it.”

Right after Cavuto pleaded with viewers about the dangers of taking an untested drug armed with the facts, a Fox pundit contracts the business reporter. This only confirms that a majority of Fox personalities continue to ignore the facts during the on-going virus that is Trump.

After a White House meeting with cabinet officials, earlier today, Trump, again, defended his use of a drug that has not been tested or approved by the FDA for use in protecting anyone from contracting the virus. When asked about the VA study that warned of a higher risk of death for those with heart disease or other ailments, Trump said that the patients  tested “were very old. Almost dead.” Then slammed the hammer down. “It was a Trump enemy statement.”

And again, after that meeting, Cavuto went on the air, asserting the results from a variety of studies accompanied by interviews with experts that pointed out the possible serious side-effects of a drug that Trump continues to hawk.

Over the past two days, Cavuto has put his reputation and quite possibly, his job on the line for the express purpose of informing the public about the facts, and warn them of the possible consequences of using an untested drug.

The coronavirus is no longer about prioritizing medical necessities, it’s about prioritizing politics.