Donald Trump hosts first rally since coronavirus diagnosis at White House

  • london
  • October 10, 2020
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US President Donald Trump has made his first public appearance since returning to the White House

The US President spent three days in a hospital after contracting Covid-19.

Standing alone and not wearing a mask, Trump spoke from the White House balcony at an event called “a peaceful protest for law & order,” attended by a few hundred people standing on the lawn below. His appearance is seen as a first step towards resuming full campaigning next week.

Speaking without hesitation, Mr Trump appeared to be back to his usual rallying form, boasting about his record and hurling unsubstantiated allegations against his opponents as a packed crowd of supporters chanted, “We love you.”

The US President spoke for just 15 minutes (Getty Images)

It was the first public event Mr Trump has held since he was released from the hospital on Monday, when some observers watching his return to the White House said he appeared at times to be short of breath.

The White House has released videos and Mr Trump has called into television shows since then, but this was the public’s first chance to see the president live.

The President addressed a crowd of supporters (AP)

The White House has not released the results of Mr Trump’s latest Covid-19 test, and has declined to say when he last tested negative. A White House spokeswoman said on Friday that Trump would be tested for COVID-19 and would not go out in public if it was determined he could still spread the virus.

Scott Atlas, the doctor advising Mr Trump, declined to comment on the President’s last test when approached by Reuters outside the event cordon. He was not wearing a mask.

President Trump invited over two thousand guests to hear him speak just a week after he was hospitalised (Getty Images)

Mr Trump, who has campaigned on a law-and-order theme during recent months of sometimes violent protests for racial justice, told Saturday’s gathering that the Republican Party had the support of America’s police forces.

“We have law enforcement watching,” he said. “We’re on the side of right.”

Mr Trump’s efforts to portray himself as tough on crime have had little impact on his standing in national opinion polls, which show him trailing his Democratic challenger Joe Biden by double digits. But the gap between the two candidates is narrower in the battleground states that may determine who wins the White House.

With additional reporting by Reuters.