President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he could return to the campaign trail with a rally on Saturday after the White House physician said that he had completed his course of therapy for the novel coronavirus and could resume public events.
In an interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity, Trump said he was likely to take a coronavirus test on Friday after a week of positive tests. The White House refused to say that the President had last tested negative for COVID-19.
The President, who sounded hoarse, said he was looking into further campaign events in the coming days, including a Saturday rally in Florida and a Sunday rally in Pennsylvania.
"Actually good," Trump said when asked how he felt in the evening interview. "I think I'm going to try to do a rally on Saturday night ... if we have enough time to put it together."
White House physician Sean Conley said earlier on Thursday that Trump had completed his course of disease therapy, remained stable since his return to White House from a military hospital on Monday, and could resume public engagements on Saturday.
Conley said in a White House memo that Trump had responded "extremely well" to treatment without any evidence of adverse effects.
"Since returning home, his physical examination has remained stable and devoid of any indication of disease progression," Conley wrote. "Saturday will be the 10th day since Thursday's diagnosis, and based on the team's advanced diagnostic trajectory, I fully anticipate the President's safe return to public engagements at that time."
Trump, confined to the White House with the illness he tried to play down, has been eager to restart campaign events as he follows Democratic candidate Joe Biden in the polls ahead of the Nov. 3 election.
The President was criticized both for handling the pandemic by his administration and for responding to his own diagnosis.
PULLS OF DEBATE
Earlier on Thursday, Trump said he didn't believe he was contagious, and he felt good enough to resume campaign rallies.
Trump held such rallies indoors and outdoors with thousands of people, many of whom do not wear masks, against the advice of public health professionals.
"I would love to do a rally tonight. I wanted to do one last night, "Trump said in a Thursday morning interview with Fox Business Network.
The President's positive test sidelined him with the in-person events that were the lifeblood of his campaign.
Trump pulled out of a second debate with Biden after the Commission on Presidential Debates announced that the Oct. 15 event would be held in a virtual format, with candidates in separate locations, to ensure that it could continue whether or not Trump remained virus-free.
Trump has been criticized for underestimating the novel coronavirus, which killed more than 210,000 Americans and thrown millions out of work. Even since he revealed his own illness on Friday, Trump has played down the dangers of respiratory disease and has been censored by social media platforms to spread misinformation about it.
"I think it was God's blessing that I had caught it. This was a blessing in disguise, "Trump said in a video posted to his Twitter account on Wednesday, adding that his use of an experimental drug from Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. had allowed him to experience firsthand how effective it might be.
He said that he would make the treatment available free of charge, but did not say how he would do it or who would pay the cost of the treatment. More than 44,000 new infections are reported daily in the United States.
The Fox network interviews were conducted over the phone. Other than videos released on his Twitter account, Trump hasn't been seen in public since he returned to the White House from the hospital on Monday night.
