Charles Darwin might be six feet underground, but Darwinism is very much alive in the White House briefing room. During the daily press briefing yesterday, April 23, President Donald Trump publicly suggested scientists develop an injection using disinfectants to combat the novel Coronavirus.

Once again, Trump’s unfiltered ignorance has endangered lives.

“And then I see the disinfectant, that knocks [the virus] out in a minute, one minute,” Trump said. “Is there a way we can do that by injection inside or almost a cleaning because you see it gets in the lungs and does a tremendous number on the lungs,” Trump added. “So it would be interesting to check that, so you’re going to have to use medical doctors but it sounds interesting to me.”

A reporter then asked the Department of Homeland Security undersecretary for Science and Technology Bill Bryan about the possibility of injecting a cleanser or sanitizer into the body in an attempt to clarify Trump’s previous statement. “No, I’m here to talk about the finds that we had in the study. We don’t do that within that lab at our labs,” Bryan said.

Trump and Bryan proceeded to have a conversation where the President attempted to ask questions and understand the information Bryan was stating—a conversation that should have taken place behind closed doors prior to holding the press conference.

It is irresponsible and unpresidential for President Trump to hold a press conference without fully grasping the topic, nor understanding the ramifications of suggesting that people should inject a disinfectant as a cure for COVID-19, especially when the topic is life-threatening. “It wouldn’t be through injections, almost a cleaning, and sterilization of an area. Maybe it works, maybe it doesn’t work, but it certainly has a big effect if it’s on a stationary object,” Trump added.

The manufacturers of Lysol, Reckitt Benckiser released a statement cautioning people against injecting or ingesting disinfectant to battle COVID-19. “As a global leader in health and hygiene products, we must be clear that under no circumstance should our disinfectant products be administered into the human body (through injection, ingestion, or any other route),” the company stated on its website.

President Trump has a track record of speaking without thinking about the consequences of his actions. While there are times the consequences are merely embarrassing for the United States, this time, the consequences could be fatal. During a global pandemic, our country needs a leader who collaborates with scientists and medical professionals—a leader that allows experienced people to provide solutions and properly communicate to the public.

Instead, our country is stuck with a “leader” who suggested ingesting disinfectant on live television. To President Trump: start listening to your advisors. And to the rest of our country: please do not drink or inject bleach, Lysol, or any other kind of disinfectant—it will not protect you from Coronavirus and will make you seriously ill, if not kill you.