If you were logged onto Twitter last night, there's a chance you saw one of the many trending topics about President Donald Trump. This time, there was a hashtag being circulated about the leader of the free world being morbidly obese. It all originated from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's comments about him taking hydroxychloroquine to ward off the coronavirus.
Trump shockingly revealed that, for the last few weeks, he has been taking hydroxychloroquine in an effort to stay protected from COVID-19. The medication has not been approved for the treatment of the virus, which makes his choice surprising.
Speaking about his choice with Anderson Cooper, Nancy Pelosi said that she doesn't believe it's a good idea.
"As far as the President is concerned, he's our President and I would rather he not be taking something that has not been approved by the scientists," she said. "Especially in his age group and in his, shall we say, weight group -- morbidly obese, they say. So, I think it's not a good idea."
The comment brought forth an important question: is Donald Trump actually morbidly obese? In short, no, he is not.
The CDC defines obesity as having a Body Mass Index (BMI) of over 30. Trump, who is 6'3", most recently clocked in at 243 pounds during his annual physician's check-up in February 2019. That gives him a BMI of 30.4, which is just over the obesity mark. However, in order to be considered "morbidly" obese, he would need to be about sixty pounds heavier.
Despite Trump not actually being morbidly obese, he should probably not be taking hydroxychloroquine... Scientists haven't approved it for a reason...