MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell on Tuesday went off on CNN’s Anderson Cooper as he vehemently defended pushing the use of oleandrin, an unproven COVID-19 therapeutic.
On Monday, Lindell confirmed to CNN that he and President Trump participated in a July meeting at the White House regarding the use of oleandrin as a potential treatment for COVID-19. Lindell claimed that Trump was “enthusiastic” about oleandrin — which has not been proven to effectively treat the coronavirus — and that the President wants the Food and Drug Administration to “do its course.”
Lindell continued promoting the unproven COVID-19 treatment on CNN the next day, finding himself in a heated exchange with Cooper as he was grilled about pushing the product amid surging cases of the coronavirus nationwide.
Lindell grew increasingly irate as Cooper took him to task on the matter, which included pointing out how the MyPillow CEO is set to make a profit off of oleandrin due to being on the board of the Phoenix Biotechnology, a producer of the unproven treatment.
After an absurd exchange that prompted Cooper to dispute Lindell’s assertion that he “probably” sleeps on a MyPillow, Lindell doubled down on his defense of oleandrin.
“This is the answer. Wouldn’t you want to save lives? This is what my heart is,” Lindell said. “I gave it to my friends and family. This saved their lives.”
Cooper hit back, telling Lindell “you really are like a snake oil salesman,” before Lindell replied that he gives “the glory to God.”
“I do what Jesus has me do. I give the glory to God and I want to help people, that’s my passion,” Lindell said. “I’m not driven, I’m not money-driven.”
After Cooper asked whether “Jesus wants you promoting remedies that have never been tested,” Lindell implored him to ask himself why he’d ruin his reputation if he didn’t believe in the product.
Cooper refuted the notion that Lindell has a great reputation by pointing out that he received an “F” from the Better Business Bureau.
“You are in my prayers, Anderson, because they destroyed me when I went all in for this great President,” Lindell said.
Watch the exchange on CNN below:
CNN's Anderson Cooper to MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell: "You really are like a snake oil salesman." pic.twitter.com/aZNeEpkVL3
— Talking Points Memo (@TPM) August 18, 2020
