Trump declares himself immune to virus
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump yesterday declared himself immune from Covid-19 as he prepares to return to the election campaign trail and fight to regain ground against rival Joe Biden.
"It looks like I'm immune for, I don't know, maybe a long time and maybe a short time, it could be a lifetime, nobody really knows, but I'm immune," Mr Trump said in a Fox News interview, a day after his doctor affirmed he was no longer a transmission risk for the disease.
Mr Trump said tests showed he would be able to return to campaigning with no risk to others.
His doctor said on Saturday the president was not a transmission risk but did not address whether he tested negative for the virus.
"I passed the highest test, the highest standards, and I'm in great shape," Mr Trump said on Fox News. "It seems like I'm immune. I can go way out of the basement."
Mr Trump, trailing his Democratic challenger Joe Biden in opinion polls, addressed supporters from a White House balcony on Saturday afternoon.
He urged a crowd of hundreds of largely Black and Latino supporters to help get out the vote in the Nov 3 election.
His physician Sean Conley said in a statement later that Mr Trump had taken a test on Saturday, which showed he was no longer "a transmission risk to others", and there was no longer evidence "of actively replicating virus".
The White House had no immediate comment on whether Dr Conley's statement meant Mr Trump had actually tested negative.
Mr Trump is eager to get back on the campaign trail after an absence of more than a week. He plans to travel to the key battleground state of Florida today, followed by rallies in Pennsylvania and Iowa tomorrow and on Wednesday, respectively. - AFP, REUTERS
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now
