President Trump on Sunday indicated that he no longer has the coronavirus and claimed that he is now “immune” from the disease as he is set to rejoin the campaign trail soon.
“Yes, and not only that, it seems like I’m immune, so I can go way out of a basement, which I would have done anyway,” Trump said in response to a question from “Sunday Morning Futures” host Maria Bartiromo about whether his doctor’s note indicates he no longer has the coronavirus. There is not yet confirmation that Trump has tested negative for the virus.
“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, the highest standards, and I’m in great shape. And I have to tell you I feel fantastically. I really feel good.”
Trump made the comments the day after his first public appearance since being diagnosed with the coronavirus Saturday. The interview is a continuation of a virtual media blitz the president has been engaged in this week as he convalesces.
“The White House doctors are the best .. .they said totally free of spreading, there’s no spread,” Trump said, adding that he was on the White House balcony for his Saturday event. There was some mask-wearing at the event but very little social distancing amongst the attendees Saturday, similar to the highly-criticized Rose Garden event announcing Trump’s nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. There’s been speculation that the Barrett announcement was a “super-spreader.”
Trump also defended his record from the initial stages of the pandemic, noting that he was initially criticized for barring travel from China in January.
“It should have never happened, it’s China’s fault,” Trump said, saying there were some predictions that more than 2 million people could die and the U.S. death count is now above 200,000. “There are those that say we did a phenomenal job.”
The wide-ranging conversation between Bartiromo also touched on Trump’s potential health care plan — he said that “Obamacare is no good” and that anything he would do would protect people with preexisting conditions — potential Biden administration policies, which Trump said would chase companies out of the U.S., and the president’s chances in the election, which he expressed optimism about.
Bartiromo and Trump’s conversation also addressed the potential emergency use authorization for the Regeneron antibody cocktail that Trump took after his coronavirus diagnosis and has been credited with potentially helping him quickly recover.
“I know people call it a therapeutic,” Trump said. “To me, it’s a cure … I want to get it immediately into the hospitals.”
Bartiromo further asked Trump about Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which protects social media companies from being legally liable for content on their networks published by users. Trump called it “a disgrace.” She also asked Trump if UFO’s exist, citing the creation of a new Department of Defense task force on “unidentified ariel phenomena” that have been recorded by members of the U.S. military. Trump said he will “have to check on that” and that he will “take a good strong look at that”
Trump’s comments came just over three weeks before the presidential election, for which many states are moving to primarily mail voting, with some even extending deadlines for mail-in ballots to be returned or mailing ballots to all registered voters. Trump has been very critical of those moves, and on Sunday said “law enforcement” is watching Democrat-controlled states like Nevada, Pennsylvania and North Carolina.
“I’ve been saying this is going to happen, they’re trying to steal the election, the good news is law enforcement is watching very closely,” Trump said.