KEY POINTS

  • Stella Immanuel is a Cameroon-born pediatrician who got her medical training in Nigeria
  • She appeared in a viral video that was taken down by social media for spreading misinformation about coronavirus
  • She supports use of President Trump's favorite coronavirus treatment, hydroxychloroquine, despite a lack of proof that it's safe and effective

Dr. Stella Immanuel, who describes herself as a prophet of God and alleges doctors use alien DNA in experiments, rose to prominence this week when President Trump retweeted a video of her claiming she has used hydroxychloroquine to “cure” COVID-19.

On the video, which first was promoted by Breitbart, Immanuel and colleagues who dubbed themselves America’s Frontline Doctors are shown speaking on the steps of the Supreme Court at a so-called White Coat Summit hosted by the Tea Party and intended to undermine the medical consensus on coronavirus.

“I’m Dr. Stella Immanuel. I’m a primary care physician in Houston, Texas. I went to medical school in West Africa, Nigeria, where I took care of malaria patients, treated them with hydroxychloroquine and stuff like that. So, I’m used to these medications,” she says in the viral video taken down by social media sites for violating rules about spreading misinformation.

“Hello, you don’t need a mask. There is a cure,” she said in reference to hydroxychloroquine, which the Food and Drug Administration has said does not appear to be effective against the virus and can cause dangerous heart arrhythmias. Trump labeled the video “must watch.”

“I think they’re very respected doctors. There was a woman who was spectacular,” Trump said when asked about it at a press conference, adding he thinks hydroxychloroquine works in the early stages of coronavirus.

Multiple studies have indicated hydroxychloroquine is not a cure, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization both have said there is no known cure.

Immanuel called the research “fake science.”

On her Twitter feed, she calls Dr. Anthony Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases, a liar and accuses him of “playing Russian roulette” with Americans’ lives.

The viral video was taken down by social media after 13 million people already had viewed it.

The hydroxychloroquine belief may be the least of her pronouncements.

Immanuel currently works at a Rehoboth Medical Center clinic in Houston, actively recruiting coronavirus patients. On video posted on the Rehoboth Facebook page, Immanuel recommends wearing a face mask, along with other CDC guidelines. She also says she “prays for my patients.”

On her own Facebook page, Immanuel describes herself as “God’s battle ax and weapon of war” and founder of Fire Power Ministries.

A CNN clip showed her talking about “astral sex” and the gynecological problems, including infertility and sexual diseases, caused by having sex with demons in dreams.

The Daily Beast reported she gave a 2015 sermon in which she laid out a plot by the Illuminati to destroy the world through abortion, gay marriage and children’s toys. She also claimed DNA from space aliens is being used in medical research and offered prayers on her website to end generational curses passed on through the placenta.

On Sunday night, Immanuel threatened Facebook after it deleted the viral video.

Another of her beliefs: The government is run by reptiles.