From the April 3, 2020, edition of Fox News' Tucker Carlson Tonight

TUCKER CARLSON (HOST): From the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, doctors on the frontline have relayed promising news about the antimalaria drug hydroxychloroquine. The president, wanting to cheer up a frightened nation, cited that drug at one point as potential therapy. Because the president was hopeful, the press was the opposite of that. Basically, they opposed finding a cure for the coronavirus because they feared it might give the president some political advantage. This was everywhere. Here are a few examples. USA Today wrote this, quote “Dr. Donald Trump peddles snake oil and false hope.” CNN needless to say, said the same, quote, “Trump peddles unsubstantiated hope in dark times." The Washington Post, a loathsome publication, barely even a newspaper now, a few days later declared this, quote, “Trump is giving people false hope of coronavirus cures. It's all snake oil.” Cliches being a specialty over at The Washington Post. None of these people had any clue -- any freaking clue what they were talking about. In fact, they're the ones who are peddling unsubstantiated snake oil. 

Hydroxychloroquine is still being researched. But this will tell you a lot. Doctors who were actually treating people who are sick with the coronavirus seem to believe in it. Many of them do. Here's how we know that: A global survey of 6,200 medical professionals currently fighting the coronavirus pandemic found that hydroxychloroquine was the most frequently cited drug they would turn to to treat patients. It had the plurality, 37%. It was number one out of 15 options. 

The biggest believers in hydroxychloroquine were not people who watch Fox News or even governed by Donald Trump, they were doctors in Spain and Italy, two countries where the epidemic has been the worst. Just to let you know unequivocally and for all time that the media lied about a potential therapy to defeat this disease and save your life because they are political partisans. That tells you everything you need to know.

Fox medical contributor Dr. Marc Siegel joins us tonight. Doctor, thanks so much for coming on. Without dragging you into all the political nonsense -- it's not your world, not where you live, not where you want to live -- tell us what doctors are saying about hydroxychloroquine.

DR. MARC SIEGEL: Hi, Tucker. First of all, hydroxychloroquine has been looked at in the test tube in China and found to be very, very effective against this coronavirus, specifically a part of the cell where the virus enters. That was a very strong study. Then China also had some follow-up studies where they looked at the effects in people, and it looked very effective in people. In France, we've talked about a study in France which was pretty small but showed that it was effective.

Now, as you said, doctors have been using it all over the United States. Many are saying that it is working. We've seen it in New York state, giving it to hundreds of people right now in hospitals with a lot of promising signs. And finally, the University of Pennsylvania has just begun a major double blinded, randomized, prospective clinical trial. And you know, when they do that? When they spend that kind of money? When they believe a treatment may work. So I can't prove to you that it works at this point, but it's extremely promising. And there's a lot of evidence that it does work.