Trump says he doesn't think he's contagious, ready to campaign

[webfact]

Trump says he doesn't think he's contagious, ready to campaign

By Jeff Mason and Steve Holland

 

U.S. President Donald Trump makes an announcement about his treatment for coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Washington, U.S., in this still image taken from video, October 7, 2020. The White House/Handout via REUTERS

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump, confined to the White House where he is being treated for COVID-19, said on Thursday he does not believe he is contagious and is feeling good enough to resume campaign rallies as he tries to boost his flagging reelection bid.

 

"I'm back because I'm a perfect physical specimen," Trump told Fox Business Network's Maria Bartiromo in his first interview since it was revealed nearly a week ago that he had tested positive for the coronavirus.

 

Trump's contention he was no longer contagious was not yet backed up by solid evidence from his doctors. The White House has refused to say when his last negative test for the virus was and, as a result, it is unclear how long he has been positive.

 

The Republican president is under pressure to actively campaign again to try to inject new energy into his reelection bid as he faces a deficit in opinion polls in battleground states with Election Day now less than four weeks away.

 

Trump rejected an announcement by the Commission on Presidential Debates that the second presidential debate, scheduled for Oct. 15, would be held in a virtual format with the candidates in remote locations. The move was made to ensure it could go forward whether or not Trump remained virus-free.

Trump says catching COVID-19 a 'blessing from God'

U.S. President Donald Trump declared that catching the coronavirus was a "blessing from God" that exposed him to experimental treatments he vowed would become free for all Americans, in a video address released on Wednesday. Libby Hogan reports.

 

 

"I'm feeling good, really good," said Trump, who spent three nights being treated at a military hospital outside Washington until his discharge on Monday. Trump said he had stopped taking "most therapeutics" for the virus but was still on steroids.

 

With layoffs in key sectors increasing doubts about the fragile economic recovery, Trump said he called off negotiations with Congress for a fresh round of stimulus for the ailing economy because they were not going anywhere.

 

But he said some discussions are ongoing with Democrats about boosting support for U.S. airlines and providing Americans with $1,200 stimulus checks.

 

Trump has faced criticism for underestimating the novel coronavirus, which has killed more than 210,000 Americans and thrown millions out of work.

 

Even since revealing his own illness on Friday, Trump has downplayed the respiratory disease's dangers and been censured by social media platforms for spreading misinformation about it.

 

"I think this was a blessing from God that I caught it. This was a blessing in disguise," Trump said in the video posted to his Twitter account on Wednesday, adding that his use of an experimental medication from Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc had allowed him to experience first-hand how effective it could be.

 

He vowed to make the treatment available free of charge, but did not say how he would do that or who would pay the cost of the treatments. The United States is currently reporting more than 44,000 new COVID-19 infections each day.

 

The Fox Business Network interview was conducted over the phone. Trump himself has not been seen in public since he arrived back at the White House from the hospital on Monday night.

 

SECOND DEBATE

Despite his illness, Trump has been looking for ways to get his election message out and cut into Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden's lead in battleground states, advisers said.

 

Aides said Trump was impatient to return to campaigning and insistent on going ahead with the second presidential debate in Miami, although Biden said on Tuesday he would not participate if Trump was not virus-free.

 

Trump has had no COVID-19 symptoms for the past 24 hours, his doctor, Sean Conley, said in a statement on Wednesday.

 

"He's now been fever-free for more than four days, symptom-free for over 24 hours, and has not needed, nor received, any supplemental oxygen since initial hospitalization," Conley said.

 

(Reporting by Jeff Mason and Steve Holland; Additional reporting by Andrea Shalal; Writing by Phil Stewart; Editing by Scott Malone, Peter Cooney and Paul Simao)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-10-09

 

- Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you

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[Dumbastheycome]

"A perfect specimen"  !

Re-imaging-   Comedian on steroids ?

[YetAnother]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

said on Thursday he does not believe he is contagious

the guy is a liar and a fool

[PatOngo]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

he does not believe he is contagious

Oh Donald, your hate is very contagious, It's spreading rapidly! Stand by Proud Boys!

[Chomper Higgot]

“Trump's contention he was no longer contagious was not yet backed up by solid evidence from his doctors.”

 

Nor will it be.

 

“Trump said he had stopped taking "most therapeutics" for the virus but was still on steroids.“

 

So why is he still on steroids?

 

[bendejo]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

"I think this was a blessing from God that I caught it. This was a blessing in disguise,"

...and is eager to share his gift with his loyal fans.

 

1 hour ago, webfact said:

"I'm back because I'm a perfect physical specimen,"

[...]

said on Thursday he does not believe he is contagious

Anyone who shows up for one of his rallies, err, no comment.

I think the press should not cover his rallies or him.  When he gets to the "fake news... look at them back there" segment it will only be Trump TV Fox.

 

Curious none of his kids have it.

 

 

Edited October 9, 2020 by bendejo

[mr mr]

how can you be contagious when you have special glasses ?

 

[worgeordie]

He might not be contagious but he's definitely Toxic.

regards worgeordie

[bluesofa]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

he does not believe he is contagious

In that case it must be dementia he's suffering from.

[findlay13]

53 minutes ago, YetAnother said:

the guy is a liar and a fool

Well if HE believes he's not contagious it must be true!???? The world leaders are by and large imbeciles.There's not a politician in the world today I can respect.

 

Edited October 9, 2020 by findlay13

[owl sees all]

I agree with The Don.

 

The test is 97.7% incorrect. He probably just had the sniffles.

 

Get back on that campaign trail Donald. Sock it to those Dem's.

 

Make America great again; like you promised.

[LomSak27]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Trump's contention he was no longer contagious was not yet backed up by solid evidence from his doctors. The White House has refused to say when his last negative test for the virus was and, as a result, it is unclear how long he has been positive.

 

Washington, we have a problem.

 

Who will vet? No one will believe the Doctors from Walter Reed, as you had them, and assisting medical personnel sign NDO's; Non Disclosure Agreements.

 

Good luck on convincing people you are not infected and spreading, based on your word. Unfortunately your documented history of lying plays against you her

 

Hope it all works out for you.  

[ChouDoufu]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

He vowed to make the treatment available free of charge, but did not say how he would do that or who would pay the cost of the treatments.

 

socialism, donny?  oh, you leftist radical!

[J Town]

Pelosi is exploring invoking the 25th amendment. Even if it doesn't come to fruition, it casts that much more weight onto a sinking ship.

 

45's campaign is dying the death of a thousand cuts.

[bunnydrops]

"Trump says he doesn't think"

The first 5 words is really all you need to know.

[Hamus Yaigh]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

said on Thursday he does not believe he is contagious ..... Trump said he .. was still on steroids. ....."I think this was a blessing from God" ... "I'm back because I'm a perfect physical specimen," Trump told Fox Business Network

 

3 hours ago, webfact said:

The White House has refused to say when his last negative test for the virus was

 

You cannot make this stuff up. The country has got the leader it deserves as the rest of humanity sighs in pitty.

 

[J Town]

45 minutes ago, Hamus Yaigh said:

 

 

You cannot make this stuff up. The country has got the leader it deserves as the rest of humanity sighs in pity.

 

Even the New England Journal of Medicine, one of the most respected group of scientists on the planet and notoriously apolitical, put forth a scathing editorial how the US must remove this man from public office. 45 has been identified as the most dangerous spreader of Covid misinformation on the planet. Yes, he is by all definitions a super-spreader.

 

How he has been able to mesmerize millions will be discussed for years to come. Once the truth about his finances and foreign affiliations are revealed, there will be a lot of people with egg on their faces.

 

https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/520091-new-england-journal-of-medicine-blasts-trump-officials-response-to-virus

[spidermike007]

President Trump on Thursday twice referred to Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) as a "monster" following her debate performance against Vice President Pence the evening prior. Trump’s comments, made in his first interview since his coronavirus diagnosis, were made during an exchange about Biden’s fitness for office. Trump claimed that Biden “won’t be president for two months” if elected because he is not “mentally capable of being president,” before tearing into Harris.

 

Is Trump now totally unhinged? You be the judge. He is panicked. His numbers are dropping daily, and he is facing the greatest humiliation of his lifetime, and he is melting down before our eyes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 9, 2020 by Scott
Images removed, off-topic

[heybruce]

45 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

President Trump on Thursday twice referred to Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) as a "monster" following her debate performance against Vice President Pence the evening prior. Trump’s comments, made in his first interview since his coronavirus diagnosis, were made during an exchange about Biden’s fitness for office. Trump claimed that Biden “won’t be president for two months” if elected because he is not “mentally capable of being president,” before tearing into Harris.

 

Is Trump now totally unhinged? You be the judge. He is panicked. His numbers are dropping daily, and he is facing the greatest humiliation of his lifetime, and he is melting down before our eyes. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pence regularly interrupted and talked over Harris during the debate (I have it on good authority that women hate that) and now Trump calls Kamala Harris a monster. 

 

Way to go after the women's vote Donnie!

[Credo]

It's rather interesting that the experimental antibody cocktail that was used to 'cure' him was made from fetal tissue.   He outlawed the use of fetal tissue.   So, I guess for him there are exceptions:

 

Antibody treatment Trump touts relied on testing with cells derived from fetal tissue

President Trump received an experimental antibody cocktail as part of a treatment regimen for covid-19 he has extolled as “miracles coming down from God,” even though its development relied on cells derived from human fetal tissue, a material his administration opposes.

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/trump-antibody-treatment-fetal-tissue/2020/10/08/92f9b2d6-0971-11eb-9be6-cf25fb429f1a_story.html

 

[Walker88]

I agree with 45. Probably not contagious. He should hold dozens of indoor rallies with all his supporters and nobody should wear a mask. It's all a Dem hoax, after all.  I mean, 45 clearly knows more about science than all those people who wasted their time going to medical school or getting PhDs in biochemistry or epidemiology, when they could have just gone with their gut feel. Didn't 45 know more about ISIS than all the Generals? And it's just a conspiracy that people got in the way and stopped him from nuking hurricane maria or going around the country injecting disinfectant into Covid sufferers and giving them a tall glass of bleach.

 

If 45's college transcripts weren't under audit like his tax returns, I'm sure he'd show us just how brilliantly he did at UPenn after his dad bribed officials to get him in.

[J Town]

7 minutes ago, Walker88 said:

I agree with 45. Probably not contagious. He should hold dozens of indoor rallies with all his supporters and nobody should wear a mask. It's all a Dem hoax, after all.  I mean, 45 clearly knows more about science than all those people who wasted their time going to medical school or getting PhDs in biochemistry or epidemiology, when they could have just gone with their gut feel. Didn't 45 know more about ISIS than all the Generals? And it's just a conspiracy that people got in the way and stopped him from nuking hurricane maria or going around the country injecting disinfectant into Covid sufferers and giving them a tall glass of bleach.

 

If 45's college transcripts weren't under audit like his tax returns, I'm sure he'd show us just how brilliantly he did at UPenn after his dad bribed officials to get him in.

Thank you doctor opinion.

[welovesundaysatspace]

 

3 hours ago, owl sees all said:

The test is 97.7% incorrect.

What test exactly was used? 

 

[Phoenix Rising]

1 hour ago, heybruce said:

Pence regularly interrupted and talked over Harris during the debate (I have it on good authority that women hate that) and now Trump calls Kamala Harris a monster. 

 

Way to go after the women's vote Donnie!

Deleted.

Edited October 9, 2020 by Phoenix Rising

[Phoenix Rising]

17 minutes ago, Walker88 said:

I agree with 45. Probably not contagious. He should hold dozens of indoor rallies with all his supporters and nobody should wear a mask. It's all a Dem hoax, after all.

I agree, as long as they stayed there for 2 weeks afterwards and received absolutely no "socialist/commie" medical treatment (i.e. only treatment paid for by themselves).

[heybruce]

27 minutes ago, Walker88 said:

I agree with 45. Probably not contagious. He should hold dozens of indoor rallies with all his supporters and nobody should wear a mask. It's all a Dem hoax, after all.  I mean, 45 clearly knows more about science than all those people who wasted their time going to medical school or getting PhDs in biochemistry or epidemiology, when they could have just gone with their gut feel. Didn't 45 know more about ISIS than all the Generals? And it's just a conspiracy that people got in the way and stopped him from nuking hurricane maria or going around the country injecting disinfectant into Covid sufferers and giving them a tall glass of bleach.

 

If 45's college transcripts weren't under audit like his tax returns, I'm sure he'd show us just how brilliantly he did at UPenn after his dad bribed officials to get him in.

How about Trump having a indoor, closed door, closed window, zero ventilation rally with all the Republican Senators before the Supreme Court Justice confirmation hearings?  A nice, long, loud and rowdy affair.  That would show everyone how fearless the Republicans are.

[ballpoint]

1 minute ago, heybruce said:

How about Trump having a indoor, closed door, closed window, zero ventilation rally with all the Republican Senators before the Supreme Court Justice confirmation hearings?  A nice, long, loud and rowdy affair.  That would show everyone how fearless the Republicans are.

Fat chance of that happening:

 

"Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell drew a stark contrast Thursday between his handling of the coronavirus in the Senate and the approach taken by the White House, which has experienced an outbreak among senior officials and the president.

During an event in northern Kentucky, McConnell said that he had not gone to the White House in more than two months because of how it has addressed the coronavirus.

"I actually haven't been to the White House since August the 6th because my impression was their approach to how to handle this was different than mine and what I insisted that we do in the Senate, which is to wear a mask and practice social distancing,” the Kentucky Republican said."

 

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/10/08/mcconnell-white-house-coronavirus-427997

[polpott]

19 minutes ago, ballpoint said:

Fat chance of that happening:

 

"Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell drew a stark contrast Thursday between his handling of the coronavirus in the Senate and the approach taken by the White House, which has experienced an outbreak among senior officials and the president.

During an event in northern Kentucky, McConnell said that he had not gone to the White House in more than two months because of how it has addressed the coronavirus.

"I actually haven't been to the White House since August the 6th because my impression was their approach to how to handle this was different than mine and what I insisted that we do in the Senate, which is to wear a mask and practice social distancing,” the Kentucky Republican said."

 

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/10/08/mcconnell-white-house-coronavirus-427997

McConnell is distancing himself from Trump because he recognises that Trump is toxic His seat in the senate is up for grabs and now has a small lead in the polls (2 points?). Self preservation.

 

Expect other Republican senators to follow suit.

 

 

Edited October 9, 2020 by polpott

[Dumbastheycome]

21 minutes ago, polpott said:

McConnell is distancing himself from Trump because he recognises that Trump is toxic His seat in the senate is up for grabs and now has a small lead in the polls (2 points?). Self preservation.

 

Expect other Republican senators to follow suit.

 

 

Several are already .

[mtls2005]

He appears to be going off the deep end.

 

Not sure if it's the drugs or just a rapid progression of his frontotemporal dementia, but those rants on fox business and hannity were the ravings of a crazy man. He could have been screaming "Get of my lawn" and he would have come across as more "normal".

 

I am shocked that enablers like bartiromo and hannity, and his children let him make such a fool of himself. And that green-screen proof of life video was insane.

 

I think everyone knew he'd flame out, but who knew it be this startling?

 

On the plus side, he is a perfect physical specimen.