Washington, Oct. 9, (dpa/GNA) – US President Donald Trump said Thursday he is hoping to hold a campaign rally on Saturday, after the White House doctor cleared him for a return to public events by the weekend.
Trump’s comments came during an interview with Fox News in the evening, where his raspy voice was repeatedly punctuated by coughs.
“I think I’m the most analyzed human being in the world right now,” Trump said, adding that he will “probably” be tested for the coronavirus on Friday.
Earlier in the day, White House doctor Sean Conley cleared Trump for “public engagements” by Saturday, saying the president “has remained stable and devoid of any indications to suggest progression of illness” since he returned to the White House.
Conley’s statement did not say if the president has tested negative for the virus, or if Trump plans to test negative before attending public events.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people infected with the coronavirus are supposed to isolate for at least 10 days from the onset of symptoms and up to 20 days for more severe cases.
Saturday will mark ten days since Trump was diagnosed with the virus, Conley said.
Trump has said his case was mild, however, his treatment, which included a cocktail of experimental drugs and some supplemental oxygen, is indicative of a more severe infection.
The president’s battle with Covid-19, and a corresponding outbreak in the White House, has put the upcoming presidential debate into limbo.
On Thursday the authority responsible for organizing the debate said the October 15 debate would be held virtually out of health concerns, causing Trump to pull out of the event, calling it a “waste of time.”
But, after saying earlier on Thursday that the debate should be postponed to October 22, Trump’s campaign later said the White House doctor’s green light means the debate should continue in person on October 15.
In a statement Trump’s campaign manager accused the non-partisan presidential debate commission of seeking to “shield” Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden from facing Trump in-person.
Biden’s team has rejected Trump’s earlier proposal of postponing the debates, saying the president’s “erratic behavior does not allow him to rewrite the calendar, and pick new dates of his choosing,” and emphasizing that it still considered the town hall on October 22 to be the final presidential debate.
“We look forward to participating in the final debate, scheduled for October 22, which already is tied for the latest debate date in 40 years,” Biden’s Communications Director Kate Bedingfield said in a statement.
Presidential debates are a long-standing tradition in US politics, and it is a major development for a sitting president to pull out.
While the president says he won the first debate, surveys have indicated that most people were appalled by the tenor, and that Biden – the former vice president under Barack Obama – gained more than he lost at the event.
After Trump pulled out of the virtual debate, Biden said he is now planning on holding a solo town hall on October 15, to be hosted and moderated by broadcaster ABC News, which announced the event.
In his first interview since he announced he had tested positive, Trump on Thursday morning told Fox he felt “great” and was nearly done with all the medical treatments.
“I don’t think I’m contagious at all,” Trump said, despite health agency guidelines saying people in his situation should remain in isolation and may still be capable of infecting others.
He also indicated he remained on steroids, which were first administered several days ago when his oxygen levels dipped. The president has taken an experimental antibody cocktail and a five-day treatment course of a therapeutic.
There has been a coronavirus outbreak at the White House, with a dozen or so people confirmed to have tested positive. ABC News said the number was up to 34.
Poll after poll shows Trump trailing Biden at the national level, with less than a month to go until election day and with early voting already under way. The surveys indicate Trump is also poised to lose in key swing-states.
“I don’t understand it. I don’t believe them, I don’t believe the polls,” Trump said in his Thursday morning interview. He accused the media of being “dishonest” and said the polls are “rigged.”
GNA