Trump appears breathless in balcony video after blocking doctors from revealing details of infection

Staged photo op on return to White House sees president appearing to breath heavily, still contagious

Donald Trump appeared breathless as he posed for photographs on his return to the White House after spending three nights in hospital.  

Ascending the South Portico steps to stand on the White House balcony, the US president turned towards cameras and removed his mask in what was a heavily staged return that appeared to be recorded twice on video.  

Having saluted the departing Marine One helicopter that transported him to hospital treatment on Friday, the president was then seen inhaling deeply as he stood on the portio terrace.  

Those observations cast doubt on the 74-year-old president’s already undisclosed condition, which his physician declined to provide details on, some hours earlier.

Speaking before Mr Trump’s departure from the Walter Reed National Military Center, Navy Commander Sean Conley said the president remained contagious but had met standards for discharge from the hospital.

Whilst admitting that he wouldn't be fully “out of the woods” for another week, Mr Conely also declined to share the results of medical scans on Mr Trump's lungs, citing patient confidentiality.

The physician also refused to say when a negative coronavirus test was last returned on the president, whose press secretary once described him as “the most tested man in America”.

It follows revelations that doctors used steroids reserved for seriously ill patients to treat Mr Trump, who suffered two drops in oxygen levels since being diagnosed with Covid-19 on Thursday night.

But with four weeks until election day and a promise to “be back on the Campaign Trail soon!!!", Mr Trump claimed to “feel good” in a video message on Monday night urging Americans to “not be afraid” of the virus.

That in itself proved controversial, with the president’s election opponent, Joe Biden, saying Mr Trump should  "Tell that to the 205,000 families who lost somebody".

Additional reporting by Associated Press