I can’t believe I have to say this, but here we go: do not inject yourself with bleach. You could die.

On Thursday, the President of the United States, one of the most politically powerful men in the world, seriously suggested the coronavirus could be killed by introducing disinfectant or a “very powerful light” into a person’s body.

"I see the disinfectant where it knocks [the coronavirus] out in a minute, one minute," said Trump during the White House’s daily coronavirus briefing. "And is there a way we can do something like that by injection inside, or almost a cleaning? Because you see it gets in the lungs, and it does a tremendous number on the lungs. So it’d be interesting to check that."

Here is Dr. Birx's reaction when President Trump asks his science advisor to study using UV light on the human body and injecting disinfectant to fight the coronavirus. pic.twitter.com/MVno5X7JMA — Daniel Lewis (@Daniel_Lewis3) April 24, 2020

It should go without saying that this idea is dangerously, mind-bogglingly wrong, but apparently these truths are no longer self-evident in 2020. So I will reiterate in the strongest of terms: do not, under any circumstances, inject, drink, or otherwise introduce bleach or any other disinfectant into your body. The corrosive substance will burn your insides, may permanently damage your organs, and could even kill you. It will also be incredibly painful the entire time you are dying.

The whole endeavour is like trying to get rid of a spider on your jacket by setting yourself on fire.

Trump’s comments have been roundly denounced by medical experts — as well as thousands of people online. Fortunately, it seems many were already aware that chugging a jug of Clorox is an astronomically terrible idea. Twitter users instantly reacted to the president’s highly uneducated and unqualified medical advice with widespread derision.

I AM NOW GOING TO TRANSCRIBE THE WARNING LABEL ON BLEACH BECAUSE THATS WHERE WE ARE AS A COUNTRY JESUS KENTUCKY FRIED CHRIST pic.twitter.com/IEpDhfdhA1 — Moose Friend (@sarahthemoose) April 24, 2020

Not in my wildest, darkest imagination could I have ever imagined, in fact or fiction, a president suggesting injecting disinfectants, household cleaning products, as a pandemic curative. — roxane gay (@rgay) April 24, 2020

i will never get over injecting bleach. it is the wildest thing i have ever heard from a public official. it is two steps away from some jim jones shit. — b-boy bouiebaisse (@jbouie) April 24, 2020

"What have you got to lose?" pic.twitter.com/1fHrFGw4NY — Nell Scovell (@NellSco) April 24, 2020

I hate to amplify @realDonaldTrump’s ideas but my father is an ICU doctor treating COVID-19 patients and he has actual reason to believe that if a small amount of disinfectant is administered internally to a patient in a closely monitored hospital setting they will die. — Bess Kalb (@bessbell) April 24, 2020

boomers: lol millennials are so dumb they tried to eat tide pods

also boomers: so help me god if u dont let me inject this bleach into my eyeball right now i will literally burn this place to the ground — 𝚗𝚊𝚙𝚘𝚕𝚎𝚘𝚗 𝚟𝚎𝚐𝚎𝚖𝚒𝚝𝚎 (@NapVeg) April 24, 2020

Sarah Conner trying to inject this dude with bleach to cure coronavirus I guess pic.twitter.com/amNeAtYxX3 — TZE CHUN (@thetzechun) April 23, 2020

“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” - FDR



“Drink bleach.” - Trump — Alex Cole (@acnewsitics) April 24, 2020

Look, it’s funny to say that Trump told people to drink bleach, but it’s not accurate. He simply said that scientists should inject people with bleach — pixelatedboat aka “mr tweets” (@pixelatedboat) April 24, 2020

Imagine fucking up at work so badly that you pitch "inject everyone with bleach." — Stay-at-Home Panicked Pixie Dream Girl (@paintedbird) April 24, 2020

Though Trump's suggestion of injecting bleach has gotten the most attention, his idea of using ultraviolet light is also extremely hazardous. There has been some research into the effect of ultraviolet light on the coronavirus when it is in the air or on surfaces, but using it to cure an infected person is a completely different, not at all analogous matter.

Depending on how powerful the light is and how long you're exposed to it, such treatment could burn you, cause cancer, or do absolutely nothing. It will not, however, cure you of COVID-19.

You really have to be on your toes. I missed the stuff about the bleach treatment because I was busy asking people if I’d heard the president correctly about the heat treatment. — Daniel Dale (@ddale8) April 24, 2020

I didn't have any clorox bleach for injecting so I had to improvise my coronavirus treatemnt.... pic.twitter.com/tTZpQtVhUo — Lance Samsqamch (@thelancemann) April 24, 2020

Since Donald Trump’s advocacy of UV light as a potential treatment for the Corona virus, the Paradise Beach tanning salon in Brexit-on-Sea is planning to re-open as an “essential service". — Mrs Nigel Farage (@MrsNigel) April 24, 2020

Terrific news! Heat kills coronavirus! Ultraviolent light kills coronavirus! So MY idea is to use MY new Space Force to round up coronavirus patients and send them to the sun for 2 or 3 days! That will KILL the virus! Thank you @FoxNews for already STRONGLY supporting MY idea! — Donald J. Trump ᵖᵃʳᵒᵈʸ (@realDonaldTrFan) April 23, 2020

Watch a scientist react to Trump’s remarks about using light to fight coronavirus. pic.twitter.com/9cmv0oCGir — Brianna Wu (@BriannaWu) April 23, 2020

Though the dangers of ingesting bleach may be obvious to many, Trump's careless speculation about potential coronavirus cures has previously had tragic consequences. In March an Arizona man died after drinking aquarium cleaner chloroquine phosphate, prompted by Trump's false claims that related compound hydroxychloroquine was a cure.

Please. For your own sake. Don't take medical advice from Donald Trump.