Donald Trump posted a video to his Twitter account on Saturday after hours of speculation over his condition following his positive coronavirus test. The president tweeted the news early Friday morning following news that aide Hope Hicks had tested positive earlier in the week. The situation grew quickly, with many other notable names testing positive in the hours that followed. Including former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former Trump aide Kellyanne Conway and First Lady Melania Trump.
Trump’s message comes after a mid-morning press event at Walter Reed Medical Center with his medical team that left many confused and questioning what the truth is about the president’s condition. After mixed messages from the president’s personal physician and his Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, Trump sat down and spoke directly to Americans about his current situation.
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— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 3, 2020
“I want to begin by thanking all the incredible medical professionals, the doctors, the nurses, everybody, at Walter Reed Medical Center, I think it’s the finest in the world, for the incredible job they’ve been doing. I came here, wasn’t feeling so well, I feel much better now. We’re working hard to get me all the way back, I have to be back because we still have to make America great again. We’ve done an awfully good job of that, but we still have steps to go. We have to finish that job,” Trump opened the video. “I’ll be back, I think I’ll be back soon. And I look forward to finishing up the campaign, the way it was started and the way we’ve been doing.”
Trump then continued on, discussing his campaign numbers and seemingly contradicting months of messaging from his own mouth and his surrogates. He also referred to the COVID-19 virus as the coronavirus, opting to avoid calling it the China Virus as he has on the campaign trail.
“But this was something that happened and it’s happened to millions of people all over the world. I’m fighting for them, not just in the U.S., I’m fighting for them all over the world. We’re going to beat this coronavirus or whatever you want to call it, and we’re going to beat it soundly,” Trump said. “So many things have happened if you look at the therapeutics, which I’m taking right now, some of them. And others are coming out soon that are looking like, frankly, they’re miracles. If you want to know the truth. They’re miracles…coming down from God.”
The president went on to give a short update on his condition and the outlook over the next few days, calling that “the real test” of his bout with the coronavirus. He also noted that he appreciated the well wishes he received from across the globe, including the support in the U.S. from all sides.
“I just wanna be so thankful for all the support I’ve seen, whether it’s on television or reading about it,” Trump said. “I most of all appreciate what’s been said by the American people, almost a bipartisan consensus of American people. It’s a beautiful thing to see and I very much appreciate it. I won’t forget it, I promise you that.”
Trump was airlifted to Walter Reed Medical Center on Friday afternoon after revealing that he and wife Melania tested positive for the virus that has left over 200,000 Americans dead. The president has faced harsh criticism for his handling of the pandemic, including the revelation that he knew about its severity in February 2020, a month before actions had to be taken across the country and death tolls would rise in cities like New York. The U.S. has the highest death toll in the world due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with 4 percent of the world’s population but 25 percent of its coronavirus cases.
