Trump reportedly planned to rip open shirt to reveal Superman logo after discharge from hospital

President said to have raised idea during several phone calls from Walter Reed Medical Centre

Donald Trump suggested wearing a Superman T-shirt that would be revealed when he ripped open his shirt as he left hospital last week, according to a report.

The president was said to have proposed the stunt for leaving the Walter Reed Medical Centre after spending three days there with coronavirus.

According to The New York Times, Mr Trump suggested he initially appear frail when leaving the military medical centre. But underneath his suit shirt would be a T-shirt emblazoned with the superhero.

He reportedly planned on pulling open his shirt to reveal the Superman top as a show of strength after being admitted as an inpatient with Covid-19.

The idea, which the NYT said was raised by Mr Trump during several phone calls from the hospital’s presidential suite, was later dropped. 

Superman was trending on Twitter after the report surfaced and the proposal was widely ridiculed by political pundits and critics of the president. “Whenever I think Trump can’t do something more ridiculous, he proves me wrong,” tweeted Renato Mariotti, a former federal prosecutor.

However Mr Trump’s arrival back at the White House was still carefully managed for the cameras.

Mr Trump walked out of the golden front doors of Walter Reed on Monday, gestured with a thumbs-up and fist bump and stepped into an SUV that carried him to the helicopter. Lights had been set up to illuminate the scene.

After landing back on the White House South Lawn, the president climbed the staircase, took off his mask and saluted from the South Portico balcony as the Marine One helicopter departed. He later shared a video of his arrival on social media.

Donald Trump walks out of Walter Reed Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland before heading to Marine One (AFP via Getty Images)

Mr Trump declared his hospital stay had left him feeling better than he had done in decades and he urged the American public not to fear the disease.

“Don’t be afraid of Covid. Don’t let it dominate your life,” he tweeted.

“We have developed, under the Trump Administration, some really great drugs & knowledge. I feel better than I did 20 years ago!”

Donald Trump poses at the White House after taking off his protective face mask after returning from the Walter Reed Medical Centre (REUTERS)

During his stay, Mr Trump was treated with the steroid dexamethasone, which is normally reserved for patients with severe Covid.

Leading doctors have said questions remain over the severity of the president’s illness.

Dr Albert Ko, an infectious disease specialist and department chairman at the Yale School of Public Health, accused the White House of issuing "convoluted" statements about his health which had led to uncertainty over whether the president ever had pneumonia.