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WASHINGTON (BLOOMBERG, REUTERS) – US President Donald Trump declared on Wednesday (October 7) that contracting the coronavirus was a “blessing from God” exposing him to experimental treatments that he promised would be free to all Americans. in your first video message. since leaving the hospital.
Trump, eager to revitalize his ailing re-election campaign, repeatedly emphasized how good he felt so far in his recovery from Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. It was unclear if he was still testing positive for the virus.
“I think it was a blessing from God that I caught him. This was a blessing in disguise, ”Trump said, adding that his use of the Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc drug had allowed him to experience first-hand how effective it could be.
Trump, who has been widely criticized for a slow response to the pandemic that has killed more than 210,000 Americans and has put his own staff at risk by discouraging the wearing of masks in the White House and on the campaign trail, also cited drugs. similar to Eli. Lilly and company
“I want to get what I have for you. And I’m going to do it for free, ”Trump said.
Trump returned to the Oval Office Wednesday for briefings, despite remaining in treatment for Covid-19 and potentially contagious.
Trump’s doctor previously said he hadn’t experienced any symptoms of the disease in 24 hours. He was released from the hospital after three days of treatment on Monday.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that patients with mild to moderate Covid-19 isolate themselves for at least 10 days after the first symptoms appear. But Trump has been agitating since Tuesday to return to the Oval Office, despite objections from his staff.
A White House spokesman, Brian Morgenstern, said that while in the Oval Office, Trump was briefed on the stimulus talks and the latest hurricane to threaten the US shores.
In a tweet, Trump previously said that he had spoken with the governors of Texas and Louisiana about the storm, Hurricane Delta. He did not indicate whether his briefing or the calls took place in the Oval Office.
While White House physician Sean Conley has not definitively said whether Trump is still contagious, they are treating him as if he could spread the disease.
Only his chief of staff, Mark Meadows, and director of social media Dan Scavino share the Oval Office with the president, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Anyone in Trump’s vicinity will wear full personal protective equipment, the person said.
Trump entered the Oval Office from outside the White House, rather than walking through the west wing, the person said.
Meadows told reporters early Wednesday that if Trump returned to the Oval Office, “we have security protocols there, which are not just from the PPE point of view but also from the point of view of ventilation in the Oval, where we can work towards that end as well. “
Trump announced Tuesday that he had withdrawn from stimulus talks with House Democrats after failing to bridge the gap between his $ 2.2 trillion (Singapore $ 3 trillion) bill and the position of Senate Republicans, many of whom want to spend much less money.
It was unclear what specifically he was informed on Wednesday, though he also said he would like stricter measures to provide money to airlines, small businesses and individual Americans.
“The stimulus negotiations are off,” Meadows told reporters previously. “Obviously, we are looking at the potential for independent bills.”
The president has not appeared in public since he made a television return to the White House on Monday night, and his doctors have not answered questions about his condition since then, even if he still takes a steroid, dexamethasone, which sometimes it is accompanied by psychiatric side effects.
Tuesday was the first day since Trump became ill that he did not appear in public or post an address on video.
The White House doctor previously said Trump’s oxygen levels and respiratory rate are stable, in a statement that omitted several key details about the president’s condition.
“His physical examination and vital signs, including oxygen saturation and respiratory rate, remain stable and in a normal range,” physician Sean Conley wrote in a memo.
Conley added that Trump has been fever-free for more than four days and “has not needed or received supplemental oxygen since the initial hospitalization.”
Trump was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Friday.
On Monday, the White House released specific measurements of some of Trump’s vital signs, including his blood oxygen level, blood pressure, temperature, heart rate and respiratory rate. Conley’s Wednesday letter didn’t include any of those specific details.
The White House also has not confirmed whether Trump received a planned fifth and final dose of Gilead Science’s remdesivir, one of three drugs administered to help him fight the virus.
Conley’s letter on Wednesday said Trump, in samples taken Monday, had “detectable levels” of antibodies compared to samples taken Thursday, when the president tested positive. Conley has previously said that he gave Trump an 8-gram dose of an antibody treatment from Regeneron Pharmaceuticals on Friday.
The company said in a statement Wednesday that his treatment may have caused the positive antibody test.
Conley’s letter on Wednesday began: “The president this morning says ‘I feel great!'”
Trump has asked Americans not to fear the virus that has killed more than 210,000 people in the United States this year. He’s been eager to get back into the election campaign, as Democratic candidate Joe Biden extends his lead in the presidential race.
On Tuesday, Trump unleashed a series of tweets, including one that halted talks with Democrats about a stimulus bill to help people suffering from the economic calamity brought on by the pandemic.
PROBABLY STILL CONTAGIOUS
Trump is still at a stage in his illness where a patient is likely to be contagious, and as of Monday he was still taking dexamethasone. The White House has declined to say this week whether he continues to take the drug, even as his aides try to paint a positive picture of the president’s health.
“We actually spent some time together yesterday working very hard from the residence, and I can tell you that he is fully engaged and feels great,” Chief of Staff Mark Meadows told Fox Wednesday morning.
Trump, who normally avoids anything he sees as a show of weakness, is eager to get back to normal even as he remains at an unknown stage in his fight against the virus. The crucial window in a recovery is between seven and 10 days, according to national security adviser Robert O’Brien, who had Covid himself and was sent in for interviews Sunday and Monday to discuss it.
For Trump, that period runs from Thursday to Sunday, if it fell on Thursday, October 1. The White House has declined to say when his last negative test was before he became ill, increasing the possibility that he contracted the virus before then. believed.
The White House has not scheduled a press conference since press secretary Kayleigh McEnany tested positive on Monday. Several of his aides have also tested positive, and many White House officials are working remotely, leaving the West Wing with far fewer people inside than normal.
Meadows acknowledged that Trump is eager to return to the Oval Office and can do so as early as Wednesday, even during the period of time when the virus is usually active and the severity of the case is unknown.
“I wanted to go to the Oval yesterday. If you decide to go to the Oval, we have security protocols there,” Meadows told reporters at the White House Wednesday morning.
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