Trump Appears At First Public Event since Diagnosis

On Saturday, US President Donald Trump appeared back to his old self as he addressed supporters at the White House in his first public event since COVID-19 was diagnosed and his doctor said that he was no longer a risk of transmission, Reuters reports.

Trump took a test on Saturday which showed that he was no longer a “transmission risk to others,” his physician Sean Conley said in a statement, adding that an assortment of tests taken by the president showed there was no longer evidence “of actively replicating virus.”

The White House had no immediate comment on whether the statement by Conley suggested that the president had tested the coronavirus as negative.

The Republican president, standing alone and not wearing a mask, spoke on Saturday afternoon from the balcony of the White House-his first public event since being diagnosed with the highly infectious disease. Trump was hospitalized for COVID-19 treatment on Oct. 2, and returned on Monday to the White House.

In the Nov. 3 presidential election, Trump urged a packed audience of hundreds of predominantly Black and Latino supporters, most wearing masks but not compliant with social distancing rules, to help get the vote out.

Trump plans to fly on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday to Florida, Pennsylvania, and Iowa, respectively.

“I’m feeling great,” he told the crowd.

Trump delivered a shorter-than-usual campaign message, speaking firmly and without hesitation, hailing his record of fighting crime and improving the U.S. economy, while bashing Democrats as his supporters cheered. On his right side, a flesh-colored bandage was noticeable.