Trump does victory lap
US PRESIDENT Donald Trump took a spin outside his hospital yesterday to thank supporters as he battles COVID-19.
Mr Trump is responding well to aggressive coronavirus treatment and his doctors are considering releasing him.
Mr Trump wore a mask and was loudly cheered as he waved from a car window at 5.20pm local time. The drive
Donald Trump.
by was slammed by critics as an unnecessary health risk to his staff but the White House dismissed the risk and called it “a short, last-minute motorcade ride to wave to his supporters”.
It came after it was revealed Mr Trump kept his first COVID diagnosis secret and told an aide who tested positive “Don’t tell anyone”, according to the Wall St Journal.
Mr Trump sat on a positive result in a rapid test on Thursday for several hours until he could be diagnosed by a more thorough screening.
In the meantime he spoke to Fox News about his adviser, Hope Hicks, the first known Trump administration member to test positive in the growing cluster that has spread to more than 20 staffers, advisers and members of the White House press corps.
Mr Trump’s personal assistant Nick Luna, who is married to Jared Kuchner’s PA, Cassidy Dumbauld, reportedly joined the group, after returning a positive test.
At the time of his pending diagnosis, Mr Trump said he and First Lady Melania Trump were waiting on results of tests.
“I’ll get my test back either tonight or tomorrow morning,” Mr Trump said.
He tweeted about the pair’s diagnosis a few hours later.
White House spokesman Kayleigh Mcenany confirmed on Sunday that Mr Trump’s first positive diagnosis came on Thursday afternoon.
The Journal reported that
Mr Trump tried to keep his illness secret.
Mr Trump’s medical team said he could be released from hospital as soon as Monday US time, despite revealing he needed to be put on oxygen.
He is also being administered the steroid dexamethasone — usually only given to serious cases.
“Our hope is that we can plan for a discharge as early as tomorrow,” Dr Brian Garibaldi said yesterday.