Trump claims he was "cured" in first interview since treatment at COVID hospital

President Donald Trump announced in his first interview since he was diagnosed with the disease that he was cured of COVID but stated that he is still on a potent steroid that can cause mania and anger.

"I am ready to go until the quarantine situation," he said Thursday morning in a telephone interview with Maria Bartiromo of Fox Business. "I don't think I'm contagious."

“Remember, if you catch it you will get better. And then you're immune, ”he said.

In the 55-minute interview in which he raged against Hillary Clinton and the investigation against him, he stated that he was healthy and rare in many places. He said he would not take part in the next debate because it was virtual and called Democratic Vice President nominee Kamala Harris a "monster".

“I am a perfect physical specimen and I am extremely young. I'm lucky that way, ”said the president, who at 74 and overweight is in the high risk category for COVID.

Trump, who returned to the Oval Office on Wednesday afternoon after spending four days in the hospital recovering from the coronavirus, said he was ready to hold a rally.

“I'd like to have a rally tonight. I wanted to do one last night, ”he said, explaining that he stood back from the crowd so it would be safe.

The President's voice sounded shaky at times in the interview, where he could be heard but not seen.

He stated that he was no longer taking any medication to fight the virus, but then said that he would take the prescribed strong steroid, which he described as a "not heavy" drug, for a little while.

Some doctors have raised concerns about dexamethasone, which can lead to insomnia, mania, mood swings, and anger. It has shown promise in treating patients with a severe case of Covid-19 who are receiving supplemental oxygen. Trump's doctors said he has not received supplemental oxygen since he was hospitalized on Friday night.

“I think I hardly take anything. I think I'm done with almost anything, ”Trump said of his medical regime.

Then he said he had been on the dexamethasone "a little longer".

He added, “I think you're doing a little longer – they have a steroid. It's not even, it's not a heavy steroid, but they have this a little longer, but I don't take – I take almost nothing, I feel great. & # 39;

"I hardly take anything," he said of the drug cocktail his medical team had given him. His treatment regimen included the dexamethasone, an experimental antiviral drug that Regeneron Pharmaceuticals tests to deliver antibodies to help a patient fight the disease, and the antiviral drug Remdesivir.

He said he will be tested again for the virus "soon".

“I will be tested very soon, but I am essentially very clean. They say it's over a period of six to seven days, ”he said.

Trump appeared to offer two ways he contracted the deadly disease – either at an event in the rose garden announcing Judge Amy Coney Barrett as a Supreme Court nomination, or as a celebration for Gold Star families in the white House. Several people from these two events have tested positive for COVID.

"As for the White House, someone came in," he said when asked how he got the disease. "It was a feast day with Notre Dame and so on and so on and someone got in and people got concerned whether it was there or something else."

Barrett visited Notre Dame and the president of the university, Rev. John Jenkins, attended the announcement and later tested positive for COVID.

“I meet a lot of people and I have to – I am the country's president. I can't hang out in a basement. So I figured there would be a chance I could catch it, ”Trump said, using his line of scrimmage against Democratic rival Joe Biden, who complains that he remains in a basement even during the Biden campaigns.

"Sometimes I've been in groups of – for example, Gold Star families I've met," he said, referring to a September 27 at the White House. The chairpersons of the joint chiefs of staff and several senior military officials will be quarantined after attending.

“I didn't mean to stop that,” Trump said.

He said the families – who have lost a member in the service of the land – wanted to hug and kiss him and he let them.

“Sometimes they come only an inch from my face. They want to hug me and they want to kiss me. And they do. And in all honesty, I'm not telling them, "back up," he said, admitting, "it's a dangerous thing I think if you stick with the COVID thing."

He also appeared to cast doubts about wearing a face mask, which doctors say will help contain the disease and slow its spread. He was referring to Ralph Northam, the Democratic governor of Virginia, a doctor who wore a face mask in public and caught COVID.

"Look, you've got the governor of Virginia – he's been wearing a mask all along – you've never seen a man without a mask – he's catching her," Trump said.

His interview meant a return to public life for the president. On Wednesday, he tweeted a video from the White House rose garden saying he had been "cured" of COVID by the experimental drug Regeneron – then he set up the drug and promised to make it available to all Americans free of charge.

The president released the statement outdoors Wednesday evening after being out of sight for more than 24 hours after returning from Walter Reed Medical Center, where he was checked in after testing positive for the coronavirus.

He called the disease a "blessing from God".

“I think it was a blessing from God that I caught him. That was a blessing in disguise, "said Trump.

Trump went out to promote the Regeneron experimental antibody cocktail.

& # 39; I've heard of this drug. I said let me take it. It was my suggestion, ”he said. Then he declared himself "cured" and said he wanted every American to get the kind of treatment they got.

Trump is only one in ten people to receive the drug, which is still in the experimental phase, and is said to boost antibodies to fight the infection. He receives A number of drugs, including a steroid that critics and some doctors have said could make the president manic.

Trump started the nearly five-minute video with a strange introduction that did not include his name.

"Hello, you may recognize me, it's your favorite president," he said. The makeup indicated that he had a lavish makeup application on his face.

"And I'm standing in front of the Oval Office in the White House, which is always an exciting place," he continued.

"I got back from Walter Reed Medical Center a day ago, spent four days there and didn't have to, I could have stayed in the White House, but the doctors said because you are President let's do it, I said fine, said Trump." .

The video was posted on Wednesday. Trump returned to the White House from Walter Reed Medical Center on Monday.

White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows told reporters at the White House the video "Taken on the South Lawn this afternoon" – suggesting the president was confused about which day he was speaking on camera.

Trump made his first foray to the Oval Office since coming home from the hospital Wednesday afternoon.

His Democratic rival Joe Biden said Trump's handling of COVID was a "tragedy".

"I'll think before I speak," he told reporters in Wilmington, where he was asked if Trump described his diagnosis as a blessing from God. "I think it's a tragedy that the president is addressing COVID like it's something not to worry about when 210,000 people have already died."

Trump, meanwhile, praised the medical staff who treated him.

“You tell me what to do and I will do it. They are great professionals, ”said Trump. He also went to a tangent, where he praised the police and fire departments.

Then he praised the Regeneron experimental antibody cocktail he took and called it a "cure".

“But I spent four days there and went in, I didn't feel that hot and in no time they gave me Regeneron, it's called Regeneron and other things but I think that was the key. But they gave me Regeneron and it was amazing, I felt good right away, I felt as good three days ago as I do now. Just want to say that we have Regeneron, we have a very similar drug from Eli Lilly. And they come out and we try to get them in an emergency, ”Trump said.

The White House doctor also said Trump was given oxygen, a steroid, and remdesivir.

"If you are in the hospital and you are feeling really bad, we will probably work to get you and get you off," he promised. He said it was "hundreds of thousands of cans nearly ready" after the US coronavirus death toll exceeded 210,000.

Then Trump turned to an attack on China which he said would pay a "heavy price" for the outbreak.

“And I'll do it for free. You won't pay for it. It wasn't your fault that this happened, it was China's fault. And China is going to pay a heavy price for what they did to this country. China will pay a heavy price for what they have done to the world. This is China's fault and remember that. & # 39;

"Our military does the distribution – that's called logistics – and they deliver hundreds of thousands of troops within a few days. It's easy for them."

"And the drug companies have just made a lot of it," he said.

The longtime promoter, who called skyscrapers and marketed products from a hit TV show with less successful Trump branded steaks and water, told the public, "You get better, you get better fast, just like I did. So again a blessing in disguise, good luck. & # 39;

Trump spoke about the therapeutic drugs and those in development – then seemed to go back on his optimistic comments about the timing of a vaccine.

“But for me it wasn't therapeutic, it just made me better, I call it a cure. But in vaccines we have a lot of companies that are in the final stages of the vaccine, "Trump said.

"I think we should have it before the election, but honestly the politics are involved and that's fine, they want to play their games, it will be right after the election."

"Some people don't know how to define therapeutically."

& # 39; It's a cure. For me I went in, I didn't feel good, a short 24 hours later I felt great, I wanted out of the hospital. And I want that for everyone. I want everyone to receive the same treatment as your president because I feel great and I feel perfect. I think it was a blessing from God that I caught him. & # 39;

& # 39; This was a blessing in disguise. I caught it, I heard about this drug, I said let me take it, it was my suggestion. Let me take it and it was amazing how it worked. Incredible. I think if I didn't catch it we would look at it like a number of other drugs. But it really did a fantastic job. I want to get what I have for you. & # 39;

It is believed to have been filmed by a White House videographer on the White House grounds. The video came shortly after it became known that Trump had returned to the Oval Office on Wednesday afternoon despite being contagious with the coronavirus, uncertain health status and several aid workers battling the disease.

Meadows was with Trump in the President's office suite in the west wing of the White House – the area where all the President's staff work – as was Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino, the White House said. Both men wore protective clothing and a A table with PPE is placed outside the west wing.

"I'm always on PPE when I get close," Meadows told reporters, adding that Scavino wore them too.

A nurse was on duty outside the Oval Office, the New York Times reported, citing a source. In addition, a cleaning crew was seen entering the west wing shortly after the report of Trump's arrival in his office.

The White House announced six days ago that Trump tested positive for the disease. He left the hospital two days ago.

While the president was eager to get back to work, his anger at tweets and his decision to end talks on a coronavirus bailout – announced in a tweet that crashed the stock market on Tuesday – have led to questions about his mental state guided.

The president is taking the steroid dexamethasone as part of his treatment for coronavirus. The steroid is known to have side effects that can affect the brain and thinking processes. Doctors also warned that dexamethasone carries the risk of serious side effects such as mood swings, aggression, and confusion.

He tried to project a picture of health after his diagnosis and as he followed Biden in the polls with election day in less than six weeks.

Biden would not comment on Trump's sanity.

"I have no idea and would never comment on the president's mental health," he said when asked if the drugs Trump was taking affected the president's mental health. "I'm not qualified to comment on that."

Meadows told Fox News the president was in the Oval Office for most of Wednesday afternoon.

"He tells me in private he feels better than he did 20 years ago," said Meadows.

Trump entered the oval via the colonnade, which is the exterior path that leads from the residence around the rose garden and to the exterior doors of the west wing. That kept him away from the corridors of the west wing, where employees work in cramped, overcrowded offices.

He has been briefed on the economic talks and the hurricane delta, the White House said. Trump tweeted that he had spoken to Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards about the hurricane on their coast and urged people to listen to FEMA.

& # 39; Just got up on Hurricane Delta and spoke to @GovAbbott from Texas and @LouisianaGov John Bel Edwards. Please refer to instructions from your state and local officials. We work very closely with them – please be prepared, be careful and be safe! ", He wrote.

On Wednesday afternoon, a naval watch appeared outside the west wing with a clue of what was going on in the building behind him. A Marine is present when the President is in the Oval Office.

White House deputy press secretary Brian Morgenstern said arrangements had been made when the president was about to return to his office.

“We have options for him to do that, we have PPE that we can use. And we can interact with him when you step down as if you were stepping down, ”he told reporters outside the White House on Wednesday.

“And people can wear masks or goggles or gloves or whatever is needed. We have the CDC guidelines, ”he added.

He pointed out that the White House in the west wing is cleaned thoroughly on a regular basis. So there is a way for him to work safely from a variety of rooms when he is ready. I think we saw in the doctor's announcement today that he is symptom-free. That he has antibodies that they now identify is a great sign. & # 39;

Dr. Sean Conley, the president's chief medical officer, said in a statement Wednesday that Trump was stable, had no coronavirus symptoms in 24 hours and had shown signs of antibodies to the virus in his system.

The president received a course on the antiviral drug Remdesivir. Antiviral drugs work by injecting antibodies into the patient's system to help the person fight the disease. It is unclear what amount of the drug Trump received.

Shortly after his osteopath testified about Trump's condition, Regeneron issued a statement that the presence of antibodies could simply be the ones he got from their drug – meaning it may not be true to admit it as a "big sign" describe.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines state that people must be 10 days after the first time they had symptoms in order to return to work.

According to the president's medical team, Trump first felt ill on Friday when a fever was diagnosed and his oxygen levels dropped below normal. He went to the hospital on Friday night.

When a person has COVID, the CDC advises: stay home and stay in a designated room and away from other people as much as possible. The agency also advises people to wear a face mask if they need to be around others. "If you have to be with other people or animals in or out of the house, wear a mask," says the CDC.

It is unknown how serious Trump's COVID attack is. The amount and medical treatment he receives suggest a serious infection.

"People who are seriously ill with COVID-19 may need to stay home for more than 10 days and up to 20 days after symptoms first appeared," advises the CDC.

Some doctors refused to allow the president to return to the office.

& # 39; He should be isolated. That's pretty clear, "said Dr. Sanjay Gupta on CNN. “Regardless of whether you are President or anyone, if you have coronavirus, there are all kinds of schedules in this type of thing. It's not an exact science, but at least ten days after people start getting symptoms is typically the most contagious type of period. & # 39;

He added, "You have to assume he has the virus, he's shedding the virus, so he's using the people who are at risk. Is he wearing a mask? Is there additional ventilation there? Are there people in the immediate vicinity? Do you wear personal protective equipment and do you know how to wear it correctly? & # 39;

Trump has recovered at the residence since returning to the White House Monday night after four days at Walter Reed Medical Center.

There is an office in the residence where the president can work.

In his Wednesday afternoon update, Conley said the president had a message for Americans: "I feel great!"

Conley, a Navy commander, said labs conducted on Monday show there are COVID-19 antibodies in the president's system – which raises questions about when he really caught coronavirus.

'Notably, the President's labs today showed detectable levels of SARS-CoV-2IgG antibodies from the labs drawn on Monday October 5th. The initial IgG levels measured late Thursday evening were undetectable, ”Conley wrote in his statement.

Conley also noted that Trump has not needed supplemental oxygen since his first hospital stay at Walter Reed Medical Center on Friday.

Trump was already flagged by critics with a fit of "roid rage" when he fired 42 tweets Tuesday and overnight attacking the FBI, FDA, Joe Biden, House spokeswoman Nancy Pelosi and Chris Wallace.

He was back on Wednesday morning, this time tweeting the claim that the nation would be turned into a "hellhole" if Democrats took over government.

In just one fiery example on Wednesday, Trump followed up on former First Lady Michelle Obama, who is one of the country's most popular political figures.

The day after she posted a 24-minute video calling him a racist, Trump tweeted actor James Woods, who replaced the clip's background with footage of urban chaos and burning buildings.

Pelosi admonished Trump in an appearance on ABC & # 39;The viewand called on the "enablers" around him to conduct an "intervention".

"There are enablers around the president who really should know better," she said.

Pelosi also called the White House "one of the most dangerous places in the country" and said it wouldn't get anywhere, then ripped up the president's negotiating strategy.

"It's hard to come up with a clear, sensible way of doing what he's doing, but the fact is he has seen the political disadvantage of his testifying to withdraw from the negotiations … He is recovering from a terrible mistake he made yesterday did, "she said.

"The last time I had an interaction with the President was the address of the State of the Union, and after that I said to my staff:" I think he received medical treatment, there is something wrong with how he got there and himself presented. & # 39; & # 39;

So far, 21 people in the president's inner circle – including him and his wife – have tested positive for coronavirus in the past week. White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany and Advisor Stephen Miller are among those infected.

The "super spread" event that likely sparked the White House outbreak was the Rose Garden's announcement last Saturday, at which Trump named Amy Coney Barrett as his Supreme Court nominee.

Barrett tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this summer but has been negative since then.

Trump confirmed overnight Thursday that he and First Lady Melania Trump tested positive after being made aware earlier in the day that his adviser Hope Hicks contracted the virus.

It also appears to be another indecency where cases were spread at the White House event honoring the Gold Star families last Sunday.

Trump was taken to Walter Reed Medical Center on Friday, where he was treated in the presidential suite for three nights.

Trump's medical team said Sunday the president had been started on dexamethasone, a generic steroid that has long and been widely used to reduce inflammation related to other diseases. The steroid was started after Trump experienced low oxygen levels.

Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the School of Public Health at Brown University, told Fox News, “We are definitely seeing quite a significant impact in 30-40 percent of people … (the) fear, the unrest.

Scientific studies have shown that patients with dexamethasone can have memory and cognitive deficits after just a few days. Corticosteroids – the class of drugs that dexamethasone belongs to – can cause psychiatric side effects in 1.8 to 57 percent of people who take them.

A study published by the Mayo Clinic, Minnesota, found that unpredictable "adverse psychiatric reactions" are relatively common among people taking the medication.

The experts' first concern was that using dexamethasone to treat Trump indicated that he was very ill as the $ 6 steroid could be dangerous for people with mild COVID-19.

But because it has to do with everything from mania to memory problems and aggression to psychosis, some are also concerned that the president's judgment could be compromised as he reportedly continues to work on his illness.

Trump has expressed his willingness to get back to work despite his doctor saying on Monday he was not "out of the woods".

On Wednesday morning, there was confusion over whether Trump has returned to his job.

His economic adviser Larry Kudlow told CNBC's "Squawk Box" that Trump went into the Oval Office on Tuesday "extra precautions" but then refused to say what they claimed they were "much bigger than just masking".

Amazingly, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows claimed just minutes later that Trump had not been in the Oval Office but was planning to return later Wednesday. That position was supported by Meadow's aide Ben Williamson, who flatly stated that Trump "wasn't there".