Trump’s doc reports ‘no symptoms’

President waves off virus after more aides infected

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump, said to be making progress in his recovery from Covid-19, tweeted his eagerness to return to the campaign trail even as the outbreak that has killed more than 210,000 Americans reached ever more widely into the upper echelons of the US government.

As Trump convalesced out of sight in the White House on Tuesday, the administration defended the protections it has put in place to protect the staff working there to treat and support him.

Trump again publicly played down the virus on Twitter after his return from a three-day hospitalisation, even though more aides tested positive, including one of his closest advisers, Stephen Miller.

In one significant national coronavirus action, Trump declared there would be no action before the election on economic-stimulus legislation – an announcement that came not long after the Federal Reserve chairman said such help was essential for recovery with the nation reeling from the human and economic cost of the pandemic. Stocks fell on the White House news.

As for Trump’s own recovery, his doctor, Navy Cmdr Sean Conley, said in a letter that the president had a “restful” Monday night at the White House and

“reports no symptoms”.

Meanwhile, Trump was grappling with next political steps exactly four weeks from Election Day.

Anxious to project strength, Trump, who is still contagious with the virus, tweeted on Tuesday that he was planning to attend next week’s debate with Democrat Joe Biden in Miami and “It will be great!”

Biden, for his part, said he and Trump “shouldn’t have a debate” as long as the president remains Covid positive.

Biden said in Pennsylvania he was “looking forward to being able to debate him” but said “we’re going to have to follow very strict guidelines”.

Elsewhere in the government, the scope of the outbreak was still being uncovered. On Tuesday, the nation’s top military leaders including the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen Mark Milley, and the vice-chairman, Gen John Hyten, were in quarantine after exposure to Adm Charles W. Ray, the vice-commandant of the Coast Guard.

It was not known how Ray contracted the virus, but he attended an event for military families at the White House on Sept 27.

The Coast Guard said that Ray felt mild symptoms over the weekend and was tested on Monday.

Also testing positive on Tuesday was Miller, a top policy adviser and Trump speechwriter, who has been an architect of the president’s restrictive immigration measures.

Miller’s wife, Katie Miller, who serves as communications director to Vice-President Mike Pence, had the virus earlier this year.