US President Donald Trump Gives First On-Camera Interview Since Covid-19 Infection

Donald Trump says “it’s good to be president” because it gave him access to America’s best doctors and the use of a “miracle” drug that is not yet available to the public.

Speaking on Fox News, his first on-camera interview since testing positive for Covid-19, Trump said the virus had left him feeling weak.

Fox aide Dr. Marc Siegel previously promised to “conduct a medical evaluation and interview” with Trump.

And he began the on-air medical exam by asking Trump what the president’s “top complaints” or top symptoms had been when he first became ill.

“I didn’t feel very strong, I didn’t feel very vital, I didn’t feel like the president of the United States should feel,” Trump said.

However, his condition quickly improved after receiving a transfusion of an experimental drug made by Regeneron Pharmaceutical, he said.

Trump said he was feeling fine now and was no longer taking medication.

The interview came amid persistent speculation about the president’s health, and after a telephone interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity, in which he repeatedly stopped to cough and catch his breath.

It also comes as Trump says he will return to the campaign this weekend despite concerns about the risk of spreading the infection.

Trump said his initial diagnosis with Covid-19 came after he felt like he started to feel bad.

He said that he had no trouble breathing, but that he felt tired.

“(I) didn’t have the same energy level,” Trump said.

“My life is based a bit on energy and you didn’t have it.”

From there, things could have gone “wrong,” Trump said.

“But I was lucky with a certain drug, I took a certain drug that was very miraculous for me,” he said, referring to Regeneron’s drug.

Regeneron previously said he gave Trump a single dose, administered intravenously, at the request of the president’s doctor.

Trump was then taken to the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for monitoring.

The new drug Regeneron is in advanced testing and its safety and efficacy are not yet known. No treatment has been shown to prevent serious illness after a coronavirus infection.

Trump said he started feeling better 24 hours after using the drug and thought he might have left the hospital at that point.

He said that now he wanted to give it free to anyone else suffering from Covid-19, who needs it.

He also praised his doctors.

“I have a lot of respect for these doctors, they really are the best doctors in the world,” he said.

“And Walter Reed, I have seen the work they do with the military and people who arrive so seriously injured.”

This meant that he even listened to the advice of the doctors.

“Generally I wouldn’t, but I tended to listen to this group,” Trump said.

He said he was now “basically” drug free, finishing his last round of drug treatments eight hours ago.

That included responding “well” to steroid treatment known to have side effects, he said.

Previously, people close to Trump were concerned that his judgment would be affected by one of the drugs used to treat his Covid-19 infection, according to news reports citing anonymous sources.

Trump’s doctors have confirmed that he was being treated with dexamethasone, a powerful steroid that can affect mood, causing euphoria and in some cases psychiatric effects, including feelings of grandiosity or mania, after being airlifted to the military hospital. Walter Reed in Maryland last week like his virus. symptoms got worse.

He returned to the White House on Monday after a three-day hospitalization, where his behavior – including a car ride outside to greet supporters followed by a barrage of capitalized tweets – had allegedly worried some of those around him, including his son. Donald Trump Jr, according to Vanity Fair.

Gabriel Sherman of the left-wing publication, citing “two Republicans informed about the family conversations,” said Don Jr had told friends that he had tried to pressure Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner, and Eric Trump to convince the president that he should stop acting unstable.

“Don Jr has said he wants to stage an intervention, but Jared and Ivanka keep telling Trump how well he is doing,” a source reportedly told Vanity Fair.

“Don said, ‘I’m not going to be the only one to tell you that you’re acting crazy.’

On Tuesday, Trump abruptly suspended coronavirus stimulus relief talks with Democrats until “after the election,” saying House Speaker Nancy Pelosi “was not negotiating in good faith” and was instructing. his team to focus on confirming the Supreme Court candidate in the Senate. Instead, Amy Coney Barrett.

The surprising move sent the stock market plummeting and was labeled a tactical error even by some Republicans, who argued that it should have allowed Democrats to take responsibility for the stalled negotiations, but instead made it appear that it had given up. to voters who suffered due to Covid-19 lockdowns.

In a follow-up tweet, Trump appeared to have realized his mistake. “If they send me a separate invoice for stimulus checks ($ 1200), it will go out to our great folks IMMEDIATELY. I’m ready to sign right now. Are you listening to Nancy?” he wrote.

The New York Times, also without citing sources, reported that “some White House staff wondered if Trump’s behavior was spurred by a cocktail of drugs he has been taking to treat the coronavirus, including dexamethasone.”

The newspaper said Trump “made calls from the White House on Tuesday and wandered the areas of the presidential residence that had been established for him,” but was described as eager to return to the Oval Office and show that he was in charge. “.

Sean Conley, Trump’s physician, said Thursday that the president had “completed his therapy course for Covid-19 as prescribed by his team of doctors” and would be ready for public engagements on Saturday.