Trump hosts first public event since COVID-19 diagnosis, says virus will 'disappear' with 'science, medicine'
President Trump on Saturday hosted somewhere between 300 and 400 people on the South Lawn of the White House, marking his first public event since he was hospitalized after contracting COVID-19 last week. It's been just two weeks since a crowd gathered in the Rose Garden for Judge Amy Coney Barrett's Supreme Court nomination, which experts believe may have been the catalyst for a coronavirus outbreak that affected both the Trump administration and Republican senators.
Trump was scheduled to speak Saturday for about 30 minutes, but wound up only utilizing 18, an unusual instance of efficiency for the president, who is known for going on tangents that drift far beyond the scope of his planned marks. His voice reportedly sounded "a touch hoarse," but he showed no outward signs of illness and said he was "feeling great," The Associated Press reports.
During his speech, Trump said the coronavirus "is going to disappear" largely thanks to "science, medicine," and "the American spirit." That's a familiar line for the president, although this time the optimism appeared based in his belief that newly-developed coronavirus therapies, rather than wishful thinking, would lead the charge.
The event was not billed as a campaign rally, but the president's rhetoric suggested otherwise. Read more at Axios.
WH insists South Lawn gathering is not a campaign event. But supporters are wearing Trump Campaign caps. And Pres Trump began his remarks by hailing enthusiasm for his re-election and declaring of his opponents, “we got to vote these people into oblivion.” pic.twitter.com/kamQvw6rE4
— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) October 10, 2020
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