Donald Trump Says COVID is like FLU and "are we going to close our country because of the flu?"

President Donald Trump compared COVID to the flu on Tuesday and urged Americans to "live with it" – facing a storm of criticism for underestimating the very virus for which he was treated at Walter Reed Hospital.

In a tweet from the White House residence that he returned to Monday night, he claimed that “many people” die from the flu every year and said, “Are we going to close our country?

"No, we learned to live with it, just like we learn to live with Covid, far less fatal in most populations !!!"

The tweet grossly overstated the flu deaths, which averaged between 12,000 and 61,000 a year for the past decade – but expressed its new determination to get past COVID and urge the country to live with it while himself on experimental drugs treated by personal doctors.

Facebook removed its version of the post – a move that immediately prompted Trump to furiously demand that he lose protection from a lawsuit. Twitter cautioned and found that it violated the company's rules for spreading misleading or harmful information about COVID.

The tweet also underestimated the scale of COVID deaths. More than 210,000 Americans have died from COVID to date, and the rate is rising again now, not anymore.

It has also been misleadingly claimed that COVID is "far less lethal" in most populations. Some studies have shown that there is a lower death rate than the flu in children and possibly younger people, but the CDC has warned that there are no solid data that are safe on this.

And the CDC has warned that COVID has a much higher death rate in the general population, especially among people with age and weight-related comorbidities – including Trump himself, who is obese and 74 years old.

His tweet shows he's doubled over what he said Monday night because he's not scared of COVID, which he believes hit it, and urges Americans not to let her do it Life dominates.

Trump remained calm, however, sending out a barrage of tweets, including insults to Mike Bloomberg and the media, while announcing how fine he is.

& # 39; FEELING GOOD! & # 39; he wrote in capital letters.

And he can take the opportunity to show this to the country personally. Communications director Alyssa Farah told reporters at the White House Tuesday morning, "I expect you will hear from him sometime today."

It is unclear whether the president will give a speech, put another video online or hold a press conference.

But Trump has made it clear that he is ready to go back to the campaign and debate Democratic rival Joe Biden.

I look forward to the debate on October 15th in Miami. It is going to be great! “He tweeted.

The White House announced Trump's diagnosis on Friday, October 2, just before 1 a.m. The CDC recommends a two-week quarantine, which for the president would end on Friday, October 16, the day after the debate.

The Presidential Debate Committee has remained silent about the next presidential debate. For the Vice Presidential candidate debate on Wednesday night, the commission put the two podiums even further apart – at 12 feet – and added plexiglass to separate the candidates.

Biden said he would listen to the experts when it came to meeting Trump on stage again.

"When scientists say it's safe," he told reporters on Monday evening, "then I think that's fine."

"I will do whatever the experts think is appropriate," he added.

The President's Doctor, Dr. Sean Conley said Trump had a good night's sleep at home and reported no symptoms.

"This morning the President's medical team met with him at the residence," Conley wrote in a statement. “He had a restful first night at home and reported no symptoms today. The vital functions and the physical examination remain stable with an ambulatory oxygen saturation level of 95-97%. Overall, he continues to do very well. I will provide updates as soon as we know more. & # 39;

Conley came under fire on Saturday for refusing to provide the president's oxygen level. Anything below 95% is cause for concern. The doctor later admitted it went below it and told Trump to get extra oxygen on Friday night, but he never gave the exact number.

Trump pointed out his own immortality on Monday night, saying in a video address filmed mask-free from the balcony of the White House when aides stood nearby: "Now I'm better and maybe I'm immune, I don't know."

The comments and tweet strongly suggested that Trump supports an approach to herd immunity to COVID that scientists have warned could cost up to two million lives.

Trump tweeted Tuesday from a White House that has turned into a superspreader event. The press conference room was fumigated Monday night by staff in Hazmat suits, one of his COVID-diagnosed military assistants, and Michelle Obama, who beat him for using intelligence agents and White domestic workers she knew from her eight years there, were at risk .

Last month's reveal of his SCOTUS nominee Amy Coney Barrett has turned into an infection link with Trump, the First Lady, two Republican Senators, three members of the clergy and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie all following their attendance tested positive.

One of these senators, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, said Monday he would attend the re-election negotiations for Coney Barrett in a "lunar suit" if it was necessary for them to be re-elected before the election. Democrats want the hearings to be postponed in line with the Senate itself.

Christie is in the hospital while Bill Barr, Trump's 70-year-old attorney general, is self-isolating. Rudy Giuliani, his 75-year-old personal attorney, is waiting for the results of a test and had a coughing fit when he appeared on Fox News on Monday.

Trump aides like Hope Hicks, one of his closest advisors, and Kayleigh McEnany, his press secretary, have tested positive, as have his "body man" Nick Luna and an escalating number of staff at the residence.

He is monitored in the residence, which has a medical suite and military doctors and nurses, while everyone around him is wearing N-95 masks – conditions not available to ordinary COVID patients. He is given experimental treatments that are not generally available in a combination that may never have been tried on anyone else.

But the link between his own approach to pulling off his mask and claiming to be "immune" and his broader strategy for the country – and for its stalled re-election campaign – seemed to focus Tuesday and focus on "heard immunity" To focus on 'the idea that once enough people are infected with the coronavirus, its transmission will slow down and deaths will drop.

Farah defended Trump by removing his mask on the balcony of the south portico on Monday night, saying he was projecting strength for Americans and the world alike.

"At times like this and these moments in our country, the Commander-in-Chief expresses the confidence of our local people, but it is also very important for our allies and adversaries to look carefully to see: is he projecting an image of strength?" And he did that last night. Precautions have been taken. His mask wasn't removed until he was distant from others, ”she told Fox News on Tuesday. "This is a lot for nothing from the media."

The cost of getting herd immunity is a high number of infections and deaths – but its supporters see it better than lockdowns that hurt the economy.

The economy is the only metric where Trump has a head start in polls where he has slipped further behind Biden nationally and in swing states. Of the states crucial to his 2016 win, only Florida was tied in some polls. He's lagged in polls in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin, and Biden's numbers are rising in Ohio, Georgia, North Carolina, and even Texas.

The controversial immunity theory was proposed by radiologist Dr. Scott Atlas, a colleague at the Hoover Institution who was inducted into the coronavirus task force after Trump saw him on Fox News.

Atlas's influence increased Tuesday when The Hill reported that it had organized a meeting between HHS Secretary Alex Azar and three academics who believe herd immunity is the approach.

The three epidemiologists – Jay Bhattacharya like Atlas from Stanford, Martin Kulldorff from Harvard and Sunetra Gupta, professor at Oxford – believe that high-risk groups can be isolated from the virus and those at lower risk can go back to life.

Her approach would be in line with Trump's own discharge from the hospital and give him academic cover to move him forward as a policy.

But Trump himself would be locked up under the academic approach because of his positive diagnosis and pre-existing conditions – age and weight.

Trump's doctors said he was "out of the woods" when they let him abandon Walter Reed after just three nights, despite losing oxygen and receiving three experimental drugs, two of which are normally only for inpatients.

He returned dramatically and exited Marine One to go up the steps of the south portico, where he removed his face mask.

But the president's breathing seemed difficult after climbing a few dozen steps when he stood up to wave to the cameras. He seemed to pucker as he tried to breathe. One doctor said he was "obviously in an emergency with his breathing".

Conflicting information about the President's health and his departure from the hospital has led to many questions including: the severity of his infection, the exact duration of his treatment, and how the hundreds of White House residents and staff will be protected from infection.

Trump takes a heavy cocktail mix of medications as part of his treatment plan, including the steroid dexamethasone, which is typically only used when someone needs a ventilator or supplemental oxygen.

He is due to receive his final dose of remdesivir on Tuesday at the White House, a five-day treatment of antiviral drugs that is believed to aid recovery.

And he got an 8-gram dose of Regeneron's experimental antibody therapy on Friday before going to the hospital.

Neither the Regeneron drug nor Remdesivir have been approved by the FDA for the treatment of COVID, but may be treated with a "compassionate" request.

The President is in the high risk category because of his age of 74, manhood and the fact that he is overweight.

But the high dose of drugs has led to questions about how bad Trump's case of COVID really is, although the aggressive treatment could be due to the fact that he is the president.

Meanwhile, Joe Biden led a chorus of condemnation last night after Trump told Americans not to be afraid of COVID, which has killed 200,000 people, and removed his face mask for a photo op.

Trump declared he felt "great," telling people not to let the virus "dominate your life," claiming he might even be immune to COVID-19, in a video posted after he returned from Walter Reed was filmed in the White House.

The president's dismissive message – "Don't be afraid of COVID, don't let it dominate your life" – immediately met with anger from critics who said they are endangering Americans.

77-year-old Biden said Monday night the president was "responsible" for his COVID-19 infection and had broken the president's "macho" attitude of avoiding wearing masks.

"Anyone who gets infected with the virus by essentially saying masks don't matter, social distancing doesn't matter. I think they're responsible for what happens to them," Biden said after Trump posed with no face covering .

"What kind of macho thing is that? I won't wear a mask." What's going on here? Big deal does it hurt you Be patriotic for God's sake! Take care of yourself, but take care of your neighbors, ”said the Democratic candidate.

Biden also said he was "not surprised" when Trump tested positive for the virus in a White House outbreak that infected more than a dozen President's staff, including senior adviser Hope Hicks and press secretary Kayleigh McEnany.

"For the past three months, three times a week, I've been on the phone with some of the leading immunologists in the country and on Zoom and they go over everything that happens," Biden said at a Miami city hall.

“And so the idea is spreading that COVID won't spread around you if you don't wear a mask, if you don't socially distance yourself, if there are large groups of people, if you are inside, and even if you are outside this is not surprising. & # 39;

Biden said during NBC City Hall on Monday night that he was glad Trump appeared to be recovering well. “But there is much to fear – 210,000 people have died. I hope no one goes away with the news that it's not a problem. & # 39;

Bernie Sanders, Biden's defeated rival in the Democratic primary, said Trump's urging Americans not to be afraid of the virus was "absurd".

"Where millions of people have lost their jobs, where people are starving and displaced, it is an absurd statement not to be afraid of COVID-19 (disease)," he told the Detroit Free Press.

“Of course we should be afraid of it. It has devastated our economy and all of our lives.

“I would suggest to you that one of the main problems in this campaign is which candidate can better turn this virus around, get a grip on it and grow the economy back if we do. And I think the answer is obviously Joe Biden. & # 39;

Former Obama aide David Axelrod called Trump a "super-spreader of dangerous falsehoods" and added, "Don't take his advice. Yes, be afraid of COVID and act accordingly: masks; social distancing; frequent hand washing."

Dr. Susan Bailey, president of the American Medical Association, warned last night that "the only thing we have to fear is complacency".

"More than 200,000 of our loved ones have died from COVID-19 and it has caused countless other diseases and illnesses – sometimes with long-term health consequences," she said.

“We know that vigilance is the best response to the COVID-19 pandemic as this virus does not feed on fear. it feeds on complacency. & # 39;

Liza Billings, a New York nurse whose brother died of COVID-19, told ABC News that Trump's message to bereaved was a slap in the face.

"It's a callous and dangerous remark that does nothing about this terrible pandemic and may even make it worse," she said.

Another bereaved, Kristin Urquiza, who spoke at the Democratic National Convention about her father's death from COVID-19, Trump replied, "At this point we should just be afraid of you."

There was also criticism from Hollywood when Captain America star Chris Evans described Trump's remark as "shockingly ruthless even to you".

"Don't be afraid of Covid ?! They were looked after around the clock by the best doctors using the best drugs, ”Evans said.

“Do you really think that everyone has access to it ?! Unfortunately, I'm sure that you are aware of this inequality, you just don't care. & # 39;

When Trump returned to the White House on Monday night, he started shooting a video on the balcony of the south portico.

He returned to a villa where several aides and household workers were also suffering from the virus, and from where he promised that he would soon leave to go on the campaign.

Removing his mask was a three-day drama in which he switched to Walter Reed on Marine One on Friday, apparently receiving repeated oxygen and being treated with drugs that were not available to ordinary Americans.

Trump also stated that he was "better" and could even be immune to Covid-19, despite his doctor warning that the president "may not be completely out of the woods yet".

When Trump entered the White House, two employees could be seen behind him: Official photographer Andrea Hanks photographed his arrival at the Executive Villa with a videographer who was standing by for a campaign video.

After Trump went inside, he headed back out on the balcony almost immediately, apparently to re-shoot the video – which extended his aides' exposure to the virus.

Less than half an hour later, the video came out: a cinematic slow motion production showing the return of an apparently vital commander in chief, with only the Marines' position in masks revealing the fact that Trump was so ill he was given oxygen and steroids that usually reserved for people with ventilators.

Trump stood in front of the camera filming his message with Marine One behind him.

Even standing on the balcony, Trump seemed to flinch in pain as he breathed. Medics who saw the video said the president was "short of breath".

British general practitioner Dr. Zoe Norris told BBC Breakfast that Trump "doesn't look good".

“When you watch the video from the White House balcony, he is obviously short of breath. This is not a man who is better, ”she said.

Another medical worker said, “What do I see as a nurse in the intensive care unit? I see a man using his extra muscles to take a deep breath.

& # 39; His sternocleidomastoid neck muscles stretch, his intercostal chest and shoulder muscles are in use. Grimace every two seconds. He's still breathless. & # 39;

Also waiting for his arrival on Monday evening was 71-year-old White House trade advisor Peter Navarro, who was standing at the entrance.

Navarro is itself at increased risk due to its age, but has been a proponent of hydroxychloroquine in the past.

When Trump returned, a cleaning crew in hazmat suits cleaned up the west wing, including the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room.

The meeting room was used Thursday by Kayleigh McEnany, who was among the youngest Trump employees to sign COVID-19 after attending the Sept. 26 Rose Garden event linked to the spread of the virus to have. She also traveled twice with Trump and Hicks on Air Force One last week.

At least 15 people have tested positive since attending Saturday's Rose Garden event that Trump nominated Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. The guests mingled in close proximity without wearing masks.

However, a White House official told the New York Times that the tracking effort would go no further than notifying people who had been in close contact with Trump in the 48 hours prior to his positive test – excluding the gardening event.

Trump's return was on the day the CDC officially warned that the coronavirus was spreading in the air.

The president claimed in his video message that a vaccine would come "temporarily" after the White House blocked FDA guidelines that would have made it nearly impossible to get approval before the election.

The FDA's planned directive said that patients participating in studies must be monitored for at least two months before emergency clearance could be granted.

FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn has been trying to build public confidence in the FDA's vaccine review for weeks, vowing that professional scientists, not politicians, will determine whether the shots are safe and effective.

However, a senior administration official on Monday evening confirmed the White House's veto, saying the White House believed there was "no clinical or medical reason" for the additional request.

Trump has repeatedly insisted that a vaccine could be approved before Election Day, although top government scientists working on the government's vaccination effort have found that that schedule is very unlikely.

Trump is returning to a White House that has been devastated by the virus since leaving. In the residence is the sick first lady; Up in the housekeeping department, two employees tested positive.

In the west wing, in addition to McEnany, two of her aides tested positive along with other members of his inner circle – after testing negative for days and spending the time informing reporters without a mask.

Sein Bodyman Nick Luna, einer der wenigen Mitarbeiter, die sich zwischen den East und West Wings bewegen, ist positiv; Sein Generalstaatsanwalt Bill Barr, 70, ist selbstisolierend, nachdem er zur Barrett-Nominierung gegangen ist.

Chris Christie, der auch bei diesem Super-Spreader-Event war und Trump auf seine Debatte vorbereitet hat, ist nach positiven Tests im Krankenhaus. Drei republikanische Senatoren, zwei Geistliche – ein katholischer Priester und ein evangelischer Pastor – und seine frühere Adjutantin Kellyanne Conway sind alle nach demselben Ereignis positiv.

Draußen sind seine Umfragen wieder gesunken, sein Rivale Biden hat den Wahlkampf und dann das nationale Fernsehen mit einem Rathaus mit NBCs Lester Holt aus Florida angetreten, wo die Republikaner eine Nachhutaktion gegen eine Flut demokratischen Geldes bekämpfen.

Bevor er ging, twitterte Walter Reed Trump nach der Kombination der experimentellen Behandlungen: "Lass es nicht dein Leben dominieren." Die Zahl der Todesopfer in den USA lag bei 210.013 und früher am Tag warnte Dr. Anthony Fauci, dass das Land "nicht an einem guten Ort" sei.

Am Montagabend veröffentlichte seine Kampagne ein Parodie-Video des Präsidenten, der dem scheinbaren Coronavirus ausweicht, bevor er einen Touchdown erzielt.

In dem Clip, der eine Parodie auf ein Highlight des San Francisco 49ers-Spiels ist, ist Trumps Gesicht auf dem Körper des Rookie-Wide-Receivers Brandon Aiyuk zu sehen.

Das Video zeigt Trump bei der Hürde eines Verteidigers, der das Coronavirus zu sein schien.

Trump macht dann einen Touchdown, bevor er von einem anderen Spieler angegriffen wird.

Der wahre Moment ereignete sich während eines NFL-Spiels zwischen den 49ers und den Philadelphia Eagles am Sonntagabend.

Die Eagles – das Virus – haben 25-20 gewonnen.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, Leiter des Nationalen Instituts für Allergien und Infektionskrankheiten, warnte davor, dass die Amerikaner COVID-19 nicht "trivialisieren" sollten, nachdem Trump das Krankenhaus nur wenige Tage nach dem positiven Test auf das Virus verlassen hatte.

'I think anybody who is looking at this realistically has to say this is a very serious situation. Even though it's confused by the fact that such a substantial portion of people generally do quite well. But it is a very serious disease that we need to reckon with,' he said on Monday, speaking at The New Yorker festival.

Fauci was asked about Trump's messaging and how it should be perceived.

'Obviously, the message should be that we should try as best as we can to avoid infection. No matter who you are, how old you are, or what your underlying condition is, we should not trivialize it,' Fauci said.

Trump has also faced criticism from Republican senator John Cornyn of Texas, who told the Houston Chronicle's editorial board that Trump 'let his guard down' on the coronavirus and is responsible for 'confusion'.

In the interview, which was published about an hour before Trump's release, the senator called the president 'his own worst enemy.'

'I think he let his guard down, and I think in his desire to try to demonstrate that we are somehow coming out of this and that the danger is not still with us – I think he got over his skis and frankly, I think it's a lesson to all of us that we need to exercise self-discipline,' Cornyn told the paper.

Meanwhile, New Jersey's Democratic governor Phil Murphy blasted Trump for 'putting lives at risk' during a fundraiser at his Bedminster golf club on Thursday.

Confusion reigned over the weekend after Trump's doctors suggested he had been receiving treatment for coronavirus before he attended the fundraiser.

'The actions leading up to and following this event have put lives at risk,' Murphy said at an afternoon news conference on Monday. 'This is very much a race against the clock.'

Vice President Mike Pence, who has tested negative, returned to the campaign trail moments after Trump announced on Monday night that he was about to leave the hospital.

The vice president boarded Air Force Two to fly to Salt Lake City, where he is to face off against Democratic vice-presidential nominee Kamala Harris on Wednesday.

Pence and Harris will be separated by a plexiglass barrier during their clash on Wednesday in an effort to lower the risk of virus transmission, the commission overseeing the event said.

After the debate, Pence will hold a campaign rally in Arizona on Thursday.