'A blessing from God that I caught it': Trump hails drug as coronavirus 'cure' in new video

‘To me, it wasn’t a therapeutic,' president said of drug considered just that by doctors and the drug industry

Donald Trump claimed in a new video released on Wednesday evening to have found a “cure” for coronavirus even though he was talking about a drug he was given to lessen the disease, which left him short of breath and with lower-than-normal blood oxygen levels while hospitalised.

After spending parts of four days in a military hospital, the president essentially said his one case taking the drug proves it is effective. He went so far as to call his contracting the disease “a blessing from God.”

The drug, which he was given during his weekend stay at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, is called Regeneron and is considered a therapeutic medication – not a vaccine.

“I view these … to me, it wasn’t therapeutic,” Mr Trump said standing near the Oval Office, to which he returned on Wednesday. “I call that a cure.”

Mr Trump urged those watching the White House-produced video to ask for Regeneron, an antibody cocktail, by name if “you’re in the hospital, and you feel really bad.”

As he tries to win back just enough votes from seniors to help him win again in the Electoral College, he urged Covid-positive older Americans to do the same.

The president appeared to say he is prepared to fast-track the experimental medication, saying “I have emergency authorisation all set.”

Democrats and some Republicans have urged the White House to avoid pushing drug makers too hard on developing a vaccine and therapy drugs.

“The FDA is acting as quickly as they’ve ever acted in history,” he said. “No president has ever pushed them like this.”

He said the agency is developing and approving things in “a matter of weeks that used to take a matter of years.”

“I want everyone to be given the same treatment as your president,” he said. “Because I feel great.”

Mr Trump appeared to confirm that he guided his Walter Reed treatment, saying he asked for the medication by name.

“I’m going to make it free,” he declared without saying from which federal account he would find the money or if he would need to ask Congress for the dollars.

Mr Trump said he feels both “great” and “perfect” after taking the drug.

“For me, I walked in, I didn’t feel so good, and 24 hours later, I was feeling great,” he said. “I wanted to get out of hospital.”

A White House aide had told reporters earlier on Wednesday that he and his social media team were working on a new video for the president to speak directly to the country since returning to the executive mansion on Monday evening.

In that video, shot just inside the Truman Balcony, the president again downplayed the virus.

“Don’t let it dominate you. Don’t be afraid of it. You’re gonna beat it. We have the best medical equipment. We have the best medicines, all developed recently,” he said in that video message, recording just inside the executive mansion’s Truman Balcony.

“Nobody that’s a leader would not do what I did. And I know there’s a risk, there’s a danger, but that’s OK,” the president added. “And now I’m better and maybe I’m immune – I don’t know. But don’t let it dominate your lives. Get out there. Be careful.”

The president has spent hours angrily tweeting since he got back to downtown Washington. He also blew up talks between his team and Democratic leaders over a fifth coronavirus economic stimulus bill. 

But hours later, he made some demands and talks partly resumed, but mostly remained stalled.

With Mr Trump trailing Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden by 16 points in a CNN poll released on Tuesday, his pushing of the medication could be mostly a political one. His mention of seniors comes as he trails Mr Biden among that key group by nearly 30 points in some polls.