Infected Trump says he's 'looking forward' to debate while he's still contagious

A day after he was released from Walter Reed Medical Center after being diagnosed with the coronavirus, Donald Trump pledged to take part in the next presidential debate.

“I am looking forward to the debate on the evening of Thursday, October 15th in Miami. It will be great!” Trump tweeted.

As Jennifer Jacobs, White House reporter for Bloomberg News, pointed out, Trump would not yet be considered beyond the risk of being contagious and spreading the coronavirus by Oct. 15. “Trump says he’s planning to debate in 9 days,” Jacobs tweeted. “Dr. Conley said it would be 10 days plus or minus before it would be safe for the president to be out and about.”

Although Trump’s physician, Sean Conley, did not specifically address when it would be safe for Trump to participate in public events, he did tell a reporter Monday that it would take from seven to 10 days for him to be “out of the woods.” The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that anyone who’s had contact with an infected person quarantine for 14 days. If Trump flies to Miami, that means not only that he himself could spread the virus, but also that anyone he comes in contact with, from Secret Service agents to political aides, could contract it and spread it themselves.

Trump continues to be cavalier about the virus. Shortly before his discharge from the hospital, he tweeted, “I will be leaving the great Walter Reed Medical Center today at 6:30 P.M. Feeling really good! Don’t be afraid of Covid. Don’t let it dominate your life. We have developed, under the Trump Administration, some really great drugs & knowledge. I feel better than I did 20 years ago!”

On Monday night, Trump climbed onto a White House balcony, where he removed his mask and stuffed it into his pocket.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.