On Monday, a video falsely promoting hydroxychloroquine as a cure for COVID-19 and downplaying the efficacy of masks went viral on various platforms, including Facebook (where it racked up nearly 20 million views) and Twitter. The video footage captured by Breitbart News was boosted by various members of anti-vaccine groups, as well as Donald Trump Jr. and the President himself. It was later removed by Facebook for promoting misinformation, according to a spokesperson, who said it was removed “for sharing false information about cures and treatments for COVID-19.” It was also flagged by Twitter, prompting Donald Trump, Jr. to be temporarily suspended from the platform and sparking outcry among the far right for alleged social media censorship.
The 43-minute video featured a group known as America’s Frontline Doctors, staging a sparsely attended press conference in front of the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. In the video, physicians in white lab coats — in between nodding ponderously and awkwardly shifting their weight between both feet — aggressively promote hydroxychloroquine as a “cure” for COVID-19, despite the fact that the World Health Organization has discontinued its recommendation of the drug, saying it was “unlikely to be beneficial for hospitalized patients.”
But who are America’s Frontline Doctors, and what are their credentials for speaking publicly about hydroxychloroquine or the effects of COVID-19? As it turns out, none of the physicians featured in the video are epidemiologists or immunologists (i.e., those best qualified to speak on infectious diseases), and many have a history of aligning with right-wing interest groups and propagating COVID-19 conspiracy theories. Below, a guide to the Sassy Six, the starring cast of America’s Frontline Doctors.
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