, the group's founder and leader, speaking at
Turning Point USA's 2020 Student Action Summit
Formation and precursors Although it is described by its founders as a "grassroots" organization, America's Frontline Doctors has a connection to the
Council for National Policy (CNP)—a conservative advocacy and networking group, and the
Tea Party Patriots. In opposition to measures to control the
COVID-19 pandemic such as business closures and
lockdowns, the CNP formed a coalition in late-April 2020 known as "Save Our Country". The group's leadership included
FreedomWorks' Adam Brandon, Tea Party Patriots co-founder
Jenny Beth Martin,
Stephen Moore, and Lisa Nelson of the
American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). In a press release announcing the coalition, Martin argued that "the long-term consequences of a prolonged societal shutdown outweigh the damage done by the virus itself." Billed as the "
White Coat Summit", it featured a group led by Gold that referred to themselves as "America's Frontline Doctors". The group claimed that a cocktail of hydroxychloroquine,
Zithromax, and
zinc could be used as a "cure" for COVID-19, and that public health measures such as lockdowns,
social distancing, and
mask mandates were therefore unnecessary. None of these drugs have been approved by the FDA or other regulators as therapeutics for COVID-19, and the claims were made without
peer-reviewed evidence One of the speakers,
Stella Immanuel, said that she herself had treated and cured 350 COVID-19 patients using the aforementioned cocktail, and referred to doctors refusing to use hydroxychloroquine as being like the "
good Germans who allow the Nazis to kill the Jews." They also accused "
fake pharma companies" of sponsoring studies that found hydroxychloroquine to be ineffective against COVID-19. The event was
live streamed by
Breitbart News, and video of the event was shared on social media platforms, such as
Facebook groups dedicated to
anti-vaccination and conspiracy movements, and on
Twitter—where Donald Trump (who had also promoted the drugs) and his son
Donald Trump Jr. both shared versions of the video. When asked about the video, Trump referred to the group as being "very respected doctors", and referred to Immanuel as "spectacular". When asked why he trusted Immanuel despite her history of promoting conspiracies (such as alien
DNA being used as part of medical treatments), Trump replied, "I thought she was very impressive, in the sense that, from where she came — I don't know what country she comes from — but she said that she's had tremendous success with hundreds of different patients." Following the event, Gold said that she had been fired from her position as an emergency room physician at two hospitals. After the
2021 United States Capitol attack in January 2021, Gold, as well as AFLDS communications director Jason Strand, were both arrested for their participation in the insurrection; Gold plead guilty, and was sentenced to 60 days in prison and a $9,500 fine. After his election to a second term, Trump
pardoned nearly all defendants charged for participating in the attack on January 20, 2025, including Gold.
Anti-vaccination activity By January 2021, AFLDS had shifted to
anti-vaccine activities and promoting misinformation about
COVID-19 vaccines. The group has referred to the vaccines as "experimental biological agents",
Scott Jensen, a former member of the
Minnesota Senate and Republican candidate for governor of Minnesota, was a plaintiff on the lawsuit. On December 8, 2021, President of the
Medical Board of California Kristina Lawson published accusations that she had been stalked by a group of people who identified themselves as members of AFLDS, stating that they had spied on her and her children outside her home, followed her to work, and ambushed her in a
parking garage "with cameras and recording equipment" as she was preparing to leave. When confronted by law enforcement, the group claimed that they were seeking an interview with Lawson. She stated that "the private investigator traveling with them told law enforcement they are producing a video about me that will include footage of my house and neighborhood, and, of course, me."
SpeakWithAnMD America's Frontline Doctors is affiliated with
SpeakWithAnMD, a
telehealth website run by conspiracy theorist
Jerome Corsi. It primarily distributes drugs that have been claimed by right-wing figures to be therapeutics for COVID-19, such as ivermectin. When referred via the AFLDS website, the site charges
US$90 for a doctor consultation with an "AFLDS-trained" physician, which is provided by Encore Telemedicine. Orders are then fulfilled via the
online pharmacy Ravkoo, which is charged on top of the consulting fee and can vary. Hundreds of customers and donors accused the organization of charging fees for
ivermectin prescriptions and consultations but failing to deliver, as well as referring customers to online pharmacies that charged excessive prices for the common anti-parasitic drug, which has also not been approved by the FDA or other regulators as a therapeutic for COVID-19. == Litigation ==