Trump boasts he is 'perfect physical specimen' and claims to be 'immune' to Covid

'When you catch it, you get better and then you're immune,' the president falsely claimed

Donald Trump made a series of claims regarding his health after he was hospitalised for three days due to the coronavirus, and the claims included calling himself the “perfect physical specimen”. 

The president went on a phone call with Fox Business on Thursday morning when he was asked if other Americans would have access to the coronavirus treatments he received while at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for three days. 

“Yeah they’re going to get it,” he said about the treatments, adding: “I’m back because I am perfect physical specimen and I'm extremely young, and so I am lucky in that way.” 

Mr Trump went on to state other aspects of his health that he claims helped him fight the novel virus, including having no “heart problems” and no “diabetes”. 

But his claim he has no heart problems contrasts the annual physical report released by White House physician Dr Sean Conley in June 2020.

In that report, Dr Conley said Mr Trump had high cholesterol, which influenced the doctor to recommend an increase to a specific medication and change in lifestyle. This means the president has a common form of heart disease that impacts most men his age.  

“I don’t have any of the problems you hear about,” Mr Trump claimed on Thursday. “Perhaps a couple pounds here and there.” 

Based on past annual physical reports, Mr Trump was in the obese category for his weight. The president being 74-year-old male also caused concern because it put him in an age group more at risk for serious complications with Covid-19. 

Mr Trump went on to state that once people catch the novel virus “you get better”. 

“What happens is you get better,” he said, listing drugs available now to treat coronavirus that include Regeneron – an antibody therapy treatment not yet approved by the FDA to treat Covid-19 and not accessible to most of the general public. 

Despite the president’s claims, it was not true someone will just “get better” after contracting the coronavirus. The novel virus has killed more than 210,000 Americans since the start of the pandemic. 

Dr Anthony Fauci, the nation’s lead infectious disease doctor, warned this week the United States could reach the grim milestone of 300,000 or 400,000 deaths if proper precautions weren’t taken in the fall and winter months.

Another false claim the president made while on Fox Business was in regards to his current immunity from the novel virus. 

When asked if he was contagious, Mr Trump said: “When you catch it, you get better and then you're immune.” 

Whether someone builds up immunity from the virus after contracting it remains uncertain. While scientists hope that’s the case, there has been no evidence to conclude that happens. So far, though, there have been limited reports of people re-contracting Covid-19 a second time.