Trump back on campaign trail
President plans first public event after second debate cancelled
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump plans his first steps towards resuming in-person election campaigning when he delivers remarks to supporters at the White House, aiming to show he has beaten the coronavirus and is back in the fray.
Trump has been sidelined for more than week since his Covid-19 diagnosis during a critical juncture in campaigning for the Nov 3 election.
Opinion polls show Democratic nominee Joe Biden leading Trump by a significant margin nationally, but more narrowly in some of the battleground states that may determine the outcome.
The president has yet to be certified as virus-free by his medical team, but he was cleared to resume public engagements as of yesterday.
He was expected to make remarks around a “law and order” theme from a White House balcony to a crowd of hundreds.
Tomorrow, he plans a campaign rally in central Florida, a must-win state for his hopes of a second term.
Questions remain about whether Trump, who announced on Oct 2 that he had the virus and spent three nights in a military hospital, is still contagious.
In an appearance on Fox News on Friday evening, Trump said he was tested again for the virus but did not disclose the result.
He also said he had stopped taking medications to combat Covid19.
“I feel really strong,” he added. Trump and his administration have faced criticism for their handling of the pandemic, as well as for their lax approach to maskwearing and social distancing in the White House and – in recent days – confusing messages about how ill the president has been.
Biden sharply criticised Trump’s decision to resume campaigning.
“Good luck. I wouldn’t show up unless you have a mask and can distance,” he told reporters in Paradise, Nevada.
Trump and Biden will campaign next week without having to prepare for a debate.
The Commission on Presidential Debates scratched the contest set for Oct 15 after Trump said he would not participate.
The commission had shifted the face-to-face debate to a virtual one after his illness.
The final debate, set for Oct 22, will go ahead as planned.