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Donald Trump has urged his followers to vote in “oblivion” for his rivals during his first appearance in a public campaign since receiving treatment for coronavirus.
Hundreds of supporters gathered on the White House lawn in matching shirts and hats as the US president spoke to them from a balcony on Saturday night.
It was his first public event since leaving the hospital earlier this week following his COVID-19 diagnosis, and he is also planning a rally in Florida on Monday.
Trump licked chants of “four more years” and “we love you” as he spoke about law and order, the coronavirus, alleged ballot irregularities and other topics in a relatively short speech by his standards.
Most of the crowd wore masks, but many were not socially estranged.
With the president lagging at the polls less than a month before the elections, he said his support was three times greater than when he was elected.
He urged supporters: “We have to vote for these people to forget, we have to get rid of them.”
The president also said he was “feeling great” after leaving the hospital just a few days ago.
Previously, he had said that he had stopped taking medication and was coronavirus-free or “at the bottom of the scale.”
It is not known if it is still contagious, but the White House has said that the tests will ensure that it will not be able to transmit the virus while campaigning.
Supporters wore matching hats and shirts
Some people did not seem to adhere properly to social distancing.
Apparently referring to his “step” out of the hospital last Sunday, when he greeted his followers, Trump said he has no regrets, despite being criticized for putting the health of Secret Service agents at risk.
“I was keeping an eye on so many people, and I went out to say hello to those people and I got a little angry, but I would do it again,” he said.
The president affirmed that his support is three times greater than when he was elected
Trump said the United States would “defeat this terrible virus from China” and claimed that a vaccine was imminent and that the military would distribute quickly.
“We are producing powerful therapies and drugs, and we are curing the sick … and the vaccine is coming out very, very fast and in record time, as you know, it will come out very, very soon.”
Several vaccines are in an advanced testing stage following encouraging results, but it’s unclear when any might be approved and available for more widespread use.
The president said that despite the “outbreaks” in different countries, COVID-19 “is disappearing, vaccines are going to help, therapies are going to help a lot.”
Turning his attention to his rival for the presidency, Joe Biden, he accused him of “betraying” African Americans and Latinos, and said that Democrats had failed inland cities.
“His policies have produced nothing but calamities, poverty and problems,” he said.
He claimed that ethnic minority voters were embracing his “pro-employment, pro-worker, pro-police, pro-American” agenda.
“If the left wins power, they will launch a national crusade against law enforcement, and they have already done so,” the president added.
He also made claims about the “elimination” of postal ballots with his name, something critics believe he can use to hold onto power if elections are close.
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“Every day there is a story about the ballots,” he said. “Some were discarded … military ballots were discarded with Trump’s name.”
The White House event came after proposals for a second presidential debate, which would have been held virtually, were scrapped.
The committee organizing the debates has said it will now focus on preparing the final debate scheduled for October 22, just a few weeks before bidding day on November 3.
