Trump ready to resume campaigns

President Donald Trump reacts during a campaign rally in Battle Creek, Michigan, December 18, 2019, on the day the House of Representatives voted to impeach him. REUTERS/Leah Millis

Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump yesterday prepared to return to the campaign trail with a pair of weekend rallies after his Covid-19 diagnosis side-lined him for a week in the race against Democratic nominee Joe Biden for the White House.

Trump, who announced he had been infected with the coronavirus on October 2 and spent three nights in a military hospital receiving treatment, said late on Thursday he was feeling “really good” and, with a doctor’s blessing, aimed to campaign in Florida today and in Pennsylvania tomorrow.

Trump’s illness has kept him from crisscrossing the country to rally support and raise cash in the final weeks before the November 3 election. A return to in-person events would be aimed at convincing voters he is healthy enough to campaign and to govern.

While Trump has released several videos on Twitter, he has not appeared in public since he returned home from the hospital on Monday. Biden who has continued to campaign, had events in Las Vegas, Nevada yesterday.

US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines say people who are severely ill with might need to stay home for up to 20 days after symptoms first appear.

Biden, who has sharply criticized Trump’s handling of the pandemic, is beating the Republican in national polls, though that lead is narrower in some of the swing states that may determine the election’s outcome.

White House physician Sean Conley said in a memo released on Thursday that Trump had completed his course of therapy for Covid-19, remained stable since returning home from the hospital and could resume public engagements today.

“Saturday will be day 10 since (last) Thursday’s diagnosis, and based on the trajectory of advanced diagnostics the team has been conducting, I anticipate the president’s safe return to public engagements at that time,” the memo added.

Sounding hoarse and occasionally pausing and clearing his throat, Trump told Fox News host Sean Hannity he was likely to be tested for the virus again yesterday. The White House has declinedtosay when Trump last tested negative for coronavirus.

 

Campaigns sparred

“I feel so good,” Trump said. The president was expected to host a “virtual rally” yesterday by appearing on conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh’s radio program. The Trump and Biden campaigns sparred on Thursday over a televised debate that had been planned for next week.

Trump pulled out after the commission in charge said the October 15 event would be held virtually with the candidates in separate locations because of health and safety concerns. Biden’s campaign arranged a town hall-style event in Philadelphia instead.

The White House and the Trump campaign have experienced an outbreak of the virus in the last week, with multiple top aides, testing positive.