Coronavirus: Trump claims to be 'immune' and says he has 'protective glow'

‘I feel fantastically,’ president says of Covid-19 recovery

Donald Trump has claimed he has fully recovered from Covid-19 and is now “immune” from the virus that has killed more than 210,000 Americans.

“I have to tell you, I feel fantastically. I really feel good. And I even feel good by the fact that, you know, the word immunity means something — having  really a protective glow means something. I think it's very important to have that, to have that is a very important thing,” the US president said in an interview with Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo on Sunday.

Mr Trump repeated his claim to be immune from coronavirus on Twitter, where he wrote: “A total and complete sign off from White House Doctors yesterday. That means I can’t get it (immune), and can’t give it. Very nice to know!!!”

The post was flagged by Twitter as “spreading misleading and potentially harmful information”.  Studies have yet to establish whether being infected with Covid-19 leads to future immunity.

The president’s comments came a day after his doctor said the president had taken a test showing he was no longer infectious. He did not say whether Mr Trump had tested negative for the virus, for which the president tested positive on 1 October.

But the doctor’s statement freed Mr Trump to return to holding big campaign rallies during the final weeks of the US presidential campaign.

He is expected to make his first public appearance on the campaign trail since his diagnosis at a rally in Florida on Monday.

“The doctors, the White House doctors, as you know, are the best, and they said [I’m] totally free of spreading. There’s no spread,” Mr Trump said. “I beat this crazy horrible China virus,” he added.

While Mr Trump said during the interview he did not know whether or how long he would be immune from Covid-19  — “no one knows”, he conceded— he made several misleading statements about the disease and how it affects patients who have had it.

“Once you do recover, you're immune,” Mr Trump said.

He then appeared to tout his illness and recovery from Covid-19 as a chip in his stack against Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, who has not caught the virus.

While Mr Trump attended events throughout the summer without wearing masks or observing social distancing, Mr Biden has been urging Americans to follow his example by wearing masks and taking all precautions outlined by the Centres for Disease Control.

“Now you have a president who doesn't have to hide in a basement like his opponent. You have a president who is immune, which is a big — I think, which is a very important thing, frankly,” Mr Trump said on Sunday.

Mr Trump has been eager to get back on the campaign trail after missing more than 10 days with his illness.

Several public polls last week showed him losing the national popular vote by more than 10 percentage points and trailing in key swing states such as Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, Arizona, and Florida.

Mr Trump will speak to supporters in Sanford, Florida, on Monday.

Vice president Mike Pence held a packed rally on Saturday in Florida, at the world’s largest retirement community, with supporters cheering him on and several then needing medical assistance due to the heat. Most did not wear masks.

Mr Trump has promised that his campaign event in Sanford this week will be a “BIG RALLY”.

White House physician Dr Sean Conley said in a memo on Thursday that the president would make a “safe return to public engagements” by the weekend, but Mr Trump’s doctors have not said whether he has tested negative twice since recovering from the illness, the benchmark suggested by public health experts for returning to social activities.

Mr Trump plans to hold evening rallies in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday and in Des Moines, Iowa, on Wednesday.

The Trump administration on Sunday called on Congress to pass a stripped-down coronavirus relief bill using leftover funds from an expired small business loan programme as negotiations on a broader package ran into resistance.

The proposal was the latest twist in on-off talks to try to secure more stimulus for the economy, which is struggling to recover from coronavirus-related shutdowns that threw millions of Americans out of work.

In a letter to lawmakers, Treasury secretary Steve Mnuchin and White House chief of state Mark Meadows said they would continue to talk to Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and House speaker Nancy Pelosi to try to reach agreement on a comprehensive bill.

However, they said Congress should "immediately vote" on legislation to enable the use of the unused Paycheck Protection Program funds, which total around $130bn (£100bn).

"The all or nothing approach is an unacceptable response to the American people," they wrote.