US President Donald Trump on Sunday, 11 October, indicated in an interview with Fox News that he may no longer have COVID-19, as he declared himself immune from the virus. Trump’s assertion comes ahead of his return to the election campaign trail on Monday, when he will fight to regain ground against rival Joe Biden, AFP reported.
Trump also repeated the same in a tweet, which Twitter labelled as misinformation. The tweet, posted on Sunday morning, stated that he had received a "total and complete sign off from White House Doctors yesterday."
“I passed the highest test, the highest standards, and I’m in great shape,” Trump said on Fox News Channel, according to Reuters.
“It seems like I’m immune. I can go way out of the basement,” he added, stressing that he was certainly immune for a unknown period, which could be a long or a short while, AFP reported.
The US president also went on to say that he feels “fantastically” and “really good” and that he had a “protective glow”.
Trump’s declaration comes a day after after his personal physician, Sean Conley said that the president’s tests on Saturday morning revealed that under "currently recognised standards, he is no longer considered a transmission risk to others".
The memo from Conley on Saturday, shortly after Trump held a campaign-style comeback event at the White House, said the latest tests on Trump showed there was "no longer evidence of actively replicating virus," and that his viral load was "decreasing". Ahead of the event on Saturday, there had been concerns that Trump could still be contagious, BBC reported.
“I am feeling great!” Trump declared as he stepped out to a White House balcony, removing his mask to address the crowd at the event.
However, the memo did not mention whether Trump had tested negative for COVID so far.
(With inputs from AFP and Reuters.)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)