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'I kinda got a cure for this': Trump Golf retweets video of John Daly joking vodka can 'kill coronavirus'

Consuming alcohol will not destroy virus and may make people more susceptible to disease, World Health Organisation warns

Louise Hall
Tuesday 21 April 2020 10:51 EDT
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President Donald Trump’s golf company has shared a video of a professional golfer jokingly endorsing vodka as a cure for coronavirus.

John Daly, a professional golfer from California, was originally seen in the video posted on YouTube, seemingly jesting that vodka could help combat the virus.

“I kinda got a cure for this,” he says in the video amidst remarks about the impact of the virus.

He holds the bottle of Polish vodka, Belvedere, up to the camera.

“I only drink one drink a day, it just happens to be a bottle of good ol’ Belvedere. You just drink one of these a day. You know, sippy sippy on a little McDonald’s Diet Coke … And that’s the way you kill this coronavirus, I believe.”

Trump Golf retweeted the two-time major championship winner's video on 9 April, Golfweek first reported, and expressed thanks to the ‘fan’ in a caption alongside it.

“A big thank you to @PGA_JohnDaly who has always been one of our biggest fans. John thank you for the friendship. Everyone at @TrumpGolf truly loves you! #StaySafe #AmericaTogether,” the company wrote.

In his message, Mr Daly also tells people to “be healthy, be smart, and hopefully, we’ll get over this thing pretty soon and we’ll get back out playing a lot more golf and everybody go back to work.”

The world health organisation has stated that excessive drinking could possibly weaken the body’s immune system and may actually render people more vulnerable to contracting Covid-19.

“Consuming alcohol will not destroy the virus, and its consumption is likely to increase the health risks if a person becomes infected with the virus,” a World Health Organisation fact sheet says.

The 1991 PGA Champion has previously spent time in rehab for alcohol addiction.

Donald Trump and Mr Daly have played golf together during Mr Trump’s presidency, according to Golfweek.

However, The Hill reported that most of the company’s golf courses and resorts are currently closed due to the coronavirus lockdown with a few exceptions in Virginia and New York.

The Independent has contacted John Daly for comment.

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