Trump says he is ready to 'do rallies'
October 9, 2020
One week after being diagnosed with COVID-19, US President Donald Trump said Thursday he is feeling "perfect" and is ready to resume campaign rallies.
Trump's doctor, Sean Conley, said in a statement released Thursday evening that Trump had "completed his course of therapy" for COVID-19 and would be able to safely "return to public engagements" on Saturday.
"Saturday will be day 10 since Thursday's diagnosis, and based on the trajectory of advanced diagnostics the team has been conducting, I fully anticipate the president's safe return to public engagements at that time," Conley said.
On Thursday night, Trump told Fox News he will likely take a coronavirus test on Friday, and will try to hold a campaign rally on Saturday, "if we have enough time to put it together."
With less than one month to go until the US presidential election, the president has not appeared in public — other than in the Fox interview and videos produced by the White House — since he returned Monday from Walter Reed military hospital.
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10-day isolation period completed
Trump's physicians have not provided the media with a substantive update on the president's health since Monday afternoon.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends a 10-day isolation period after the onset of COVID-19 symptoms, which for Trump was October 1.
The White House, however, has not shared when Trump last tested negative for the virus, which would help determine exactly when he was infected. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the US government's top infectious disease expert, said two negative PCR lab tests 24 hours apart are necessary to determine if someone is still contagious.
Alyssa Farah, the White House strategic communications director, said the information was Trump's "private medical history."
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Trump wants to rally
In a phone interview with Fox Business earlier Thursday, Trump said he believes he is no longer contagious.
"I'm feeling good, really good, I think perfect," Trump said in his first interview since being released from the hospital.
"I think I am better to the point where I'd love to do a rally tonight. I wanted to do one last night," Trump said, adding that he would "stand by myself very far away from everybody."
During the interview, Trump also rejected a suggestion to hold the next presidential debate virtually. Trump's campaign earlier said that Trump would instead hold rally instead.
"A virtual debate is a joke, there is no reason, I am in great shape," Trump said.
He later agreed to delay the debate to October 22. His team also insisted that the third debate be pushed to October 29, just days before the November 3 election.
wmr/rc (AP, AFP, Reuters)