(Alex Brandon | AP file photo) In this April 22 photo, President Donald Trump watches as Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, speaks about the coronavirus in the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington. After weeks of near-daily plugs for the use of hydroxychloroquine to help treat COVID-19 patients, Trump and the White House abruptly stopped discussing the drug a week ago. His promotion of the drug, based on isolated reports and instinct, frequently put him at odds with medical professionals, including Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, who said evidence for the efficacy of the drug for COVID-19 patients was "anecdotal."