United States President Donald Trump on Sunday claimed that he was “immune” to the coronavirus after recovering completely from Covid-19. In an interview with Fox News, Trump said he felt “fantastically” and was ready to “get out of the basement”.
“It seems like I’m immune, so I can go way out of a basement, which I would have done anyway,” Trump told the channel. “It looks like I am immune for I don’t know, maybe a long time or maybe a short time...It could be a life time, nobody really knows but I am immune.” Studies have yet to establish whether being infected with Covid-19 leads to future immunity.
His statements came a day after his doctor in a memo released on Saturday night said that Trump was “no longer considered a transmission risk”, and he would make a “safe return to public engagements” by the weekend. The memo from Dr Sean P Conley, however, did not confirm whether Trump had tested negative for Covid-19. Trump had announced he contracted the virus on October 1.
“The president is in very good shape to fight the battles,” Trump added. “I beat this crazy horrible China virus... I passed the highest test and I’m in great shape.”
Trump is expected to make his first public appearance on the campaign trail since his diagnosis at a rally in Florida on Monday. When asked about how he would ensure the safety of people during such events, the president asserted that he was no longer a transmission risk.
He also defended the in-person event he hosted on the White House lawn on Saturday, which critics thought was a reckless move. “I was on a balcony,” Trump told the channel. “The closest person was probably a couple of hundred feet away and they were down on grass, there was no one even close to me.”
Trump reiterated his immunity claim from Covid-19 on Twitter. “A total and complete sign off from White House Doctors yesterday,” he tweeted. “That means I can’t get it (immune), and can’t give it. Very nice to know!!!” The post was blocked and flagged by Twitter as “spreading misleading and potentially harmful information”.
Anthony Fauci reacts to Trump’s election ad
Meanwhile, Anthony Fauci, America’s top infectious disease expert, said on Sunday that an advertisement aired by Trump’s re-election campaign was edited to make him seem to endorse the president’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, AFP reported. “In my nearly five decades of public service, I have never publicly endorsed any political candidate,” Fauci said in a statement.
The 30-second campaign cites Trump’s personal experience with the virus. “President Trump is recovering from the coronavirus, and so is America,” it says, before including a brief clip in which Fauci appears to praise the president’s response to the pandemic. “I can’t imagine that anybody could be doing more,” Fauci is shown as saying, creating an impression he is referring to Trump.
However, a complete clip of his comments made during an interview in March with Fox News, shows the doctor saying: “I have been devoting almost full time on this. I’m down at the White House virtually every day with the task force. It’s every single day. So, I can’t imagine that under any circumstances that anybody could be doing more.”
Trump, however, rebutted Fauci’s statement. “They are indeed Dr Fauci’s own words,” he tweeted. “We have done a ‘phenomenal’ job, according to certain governors.”
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!