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US President Donald Trump made his first public appearance on Saturday (NZT Sunday) since returning to the White House after being treated for the coronavirus.
The White House has refused to declare that it is no longer contagious, and the gathering of hundreds of people on the South Lawn took place despite guidance from public health officials.
Trump delivered a speech about his support for law enforcement from the Blue Room balcony to a friendly crowd. The president wore a mask while walking for the speech, but removed it to make his comments. He received an enthusiastic response from his followers.
“I feel great,” said Trump, who said he was grateful for her good wishes and prayers as he recovered.
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Trump is also preparing for a rally in Florida on Monday.
Alex Brandon / AP
President Donald Trump removes his mask to speak from the White House Balcony of the Blue Room to a crowd of supporters.
Before the speech, White House officials said they had no information to release on whether the president was tested for Covid-19, meaning he would make his first public appearance without the White House verifying that he is no longer contagious. .
Authorities stepped up security around the White House, where Trump planned to speak from the balcony in what is called a “peaceful protest for law and order.” Police and the Secret Service closed the surrounding streets to vehicles and closed Lafayette Square, the park near the White House that has long been a gathering place for public protests.
Alex Brandon / AP
Before the speech, White House officials said they had no information to release on whether the president was tested for Covid-19.
As questions about his health linger, and Democratic opponent Joe Biden steps up his own campaign, Trump also planned to leave the Washington area on Monday for the first time since he was hospitalized for a campaign rally in Sanford, Florida. He is also scheduled to hold campaign events in Iowa and Pennsylvania next week and is increasing his radio and television appearances with conservative interviewers, hoping to make up for lost time with just over three weeks until Election Day and millions already voting.
José Luis Magana / AP
The White House has refused to declare that it is no longer contagious, and the gathering of hundreds of people on the South Lawn took place despite guidance from public health officials.
The president has not been seen in public – except in videos produced by the White House – since he returned days ago from the military hospital where he received experimental treatments for the coronavirus.
Most of the crowd that gathered for his speech on supporting law enforcement wore masks, but there was little social distancing.
Saturday’s speech comes two weeks after his Rose Garden event, which has been labeled a “super-spreader” of the virus. More than two dozen people with ties to the White House have contracted Covid-19 since the President’s Sept. 26 event in which Justice Amy Coney Barrett was announced as his Supreme Court nominee.
On Saturday, all attendees must bring masks or they will be provided, and they will also be temperature checked and asked to fill out a short questionnaire. Attendees will be strongly encouraged to follow CDC guidelines, which include wearing masks and social distancing.
Trump’s Monday event in Sanford, Florida, what he described as a “GREAT RALLY,” was originally scheduled for October 2, the day after he tested positive. Before his event Saturday, Trump took to Twitter to share news articles about problems. with mail-in ballots in New Jersey, Ohio and Texas. Trump has repeatedly made unsubstantiated claims that universal vote-by-mail is plagued by widespread fraud.
Trump’s return to public activity came when Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government’s top infectious disease expert, warned the White House again to avoid large-scale gatherings of people without masks.
He said of the Barrett event in an interview with The Associated Press, “I was not surprised to see a superpreader event under the circumstances.” That means “an environment full of people, congregated, without masks. It’s not surprising to see an outbreak,” he said.
Alex Brandon / AP
US President Donald Trump removes his mask to speak from the Balcony of the White House Blue Room before a crowd of supporters.
The District of Columbia virus restrictions prohibit outdoor gatherings of more than 50 people, although that rule has not been strictly enforced. Masks are required outdoors for most people, but the regulations don’t apply on federal land, and the Trump White House has openly circumvented them for months.
Confined to the White House while he recovers, Trump spent much of the past few days touring friendly conservative media, calling Fox News host Sean Hannity Thursday night and spending two hours live with radio host Rush Limbaugh on The Friday in what his campaign called a “radio rally.”
Trump directly appealed to his loyalist base of supporters, whom he needs to go to the polls en masse, in court over his battle for re-election, his fight against the coronavirus and resuming negotiations with Democrats to pass a bill. economic stimulus.
José Luis Magana / AP
However, White House officials have declined to answer when Trump last tested negative for the virus or to release detailed information about lung scans taken while Trump was hospitalized.
In an interview Friday night on Fox’s Tucker Carlson show, Trump was asked if he had been retested for Covid-19. “I have been retested and I still haven’t figured out the numbers or anything. But they tested me again and I know I’m at the bottom of the scale or free, “he said.
White House officials, however, have declined to answer when Trump last tested negative for the virus or release detailed information about lung scans taken while Trump was hospitalized.
The president’s aides insist Trump is safe to return to his normal activities, including campaigning. Guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention call for those infected to wait at least 10 days from the onset of symptoms, Fauci said in the AP interview. That start for Trump was October 1, according to his doctors.
The White House president’s physician, Navy Commander Sean Conley, added that Trump showed no evidence of his disease progressing or adverse reactions to the aggressive course of therapy he received.
While reports of reinfection in Covid-19 victims are rare, the CDC recommends that even people recovering from the disease continue to wear masks, stay away, and follow other precautions. It was unclear whether Trump, who has refused to wear masks in most settings, would abide by that guidance when he resumes his campaign.
