President of the United States (US) Donald Trump
Image sourced via Instagram: realdonaldtrump
US President Donald Trump: ‘Don’t be afraid of COVID-19’
Trump announced on Friday he and First Lady Melania had tested positive for the coronavirus
President of the United States (US) Donald Trump
Image sourced via Instagram: realdonaldtrump
President of the United States (US) Donald Trump is enthusiastic about his COVID-19 status, despite still being infected, and has encouraged Americans to not be entirely threatened by the respiratory disease.
Trump left the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland on Monday, 5 October 2020. This is merely just days after he and First Lady, Melania, tested positive for the coronavirus.
Trump: ‘We’re going back to work’
In a video he posted on Twitter from the White House’s balcony, after his return, Trump said while there are risks, people shouldn’t be let the virus ‘dominate’ them.
“We’re going back to work. We’re going to be out front,” Trump said.
“As your leader, I had to do that. I knew there’s danger to it, but I had to do it. I stood out front. I led. Nobody that’s a leader would not do what I did. And I know there’s a risk, there’s a danger, but that’s OK. And now I’m better and maybe I’m immune, I don’t know. But don’t let it dominate your lives.”
A number of senior staffers in the White House have already tested positive for the coronavirus, the latest person to be infected being press secretary Kayleigh McEnany. Others include national security adviser Robert O’Brien and Katie Miller, Vice President Mike Pence’s communications director.
The United States remains the epicentre of the coronavirus, with more than seven million people infected while at least 210 000 others have succumbed to it. Democrats have taken aim at him, notably for his handling of the global pandemic, accusing him of failing to show proper leadership.
Since the disease was picked up in January 2020, some of the president’s comments have more than raised a few eyebrows. From suggesting that sanitisers could be injected into the body, to saying the virus affects ‘virtually nobody’, the pandemic will undoubtedly continue being a factor in how Americans vote.
What has he said before?
Trump, who once described COVID-19 as a mere flu, said the virus would soon be a thing of the past.
“It’s going to disappear one day, it’s like a miracle, it will disappear.”
The US heads to the polls on 3 November 2020 and contrary to some reports, Trump is forging ahead and has no plans of putting his campaign on hold.
