WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) – US President Donald Trump on Wednesday declared his COVID-19 illness a “blessing from God,” as he got back to work in the Oval Office despite warnings that his return could put others at risk.
Trump has worked hard since he checked out of the hospital on Monday — including a made-for-television return to the White House — to cast his illness as a personal triumph.
“I think this is a blessing from God that I caught it,” Trump said in a video, referring to the virus which has killed over 210,000 people in the United States.
But Democrat Joe Biden, who leads Trump in the latest polls ahead of the November 3 vote, attacked the president’s downplaying of the risk.
“I think it’s a tragedy that the president deals with COVID like it is something not to worry about when over 210,000 people (in the US) have died,” Biden told reporters.
The behaviour of the president — who has faced fierce criticism for his handling of the outbreak — is under scrutiny as the number of positive cases climbs among people working at the White House and elsewhere in Washington.
On Wednesday the Pentagon confirmed that one of the Marine Corps’ top officers, General Gary Thomas, tested positive for the virus.
In his emblematic red tie, Trump attributed his recovery since being diagnosed Thursday and hospitalized Friday to an antibody cocktail, an experimental treatment that has not even received an emergency use authorization.
“I want everybody to be given the same treatment as your president, because I feel great,” he said.
After contradictory statements whether the president was back at work on Tuesday, a senior administration official told AFP that Trump was present Wednesday with an “extremely limited” number of staff in his office.
“Was just briefed on Hurricane Delta,” the president tweeted Wednesday, seemingly eager to project his return to work.
Just after stepping off a helicopter upon his return to the White House, Trump climbed the stairs of his residence and pulled off his face mask — a tool against the virus that he has frequently minimized.
“Don’t let (Covid-19) dominate you. Don’t be afraid of it,” he urged Americans in his homecoming speech, despite the US having the largest total number of coronavirus infections and deaths in the world.
Trump arrived by an outside door to avoid passing through the crowded corridors of his residence, the senior administration official told AFP.
