Trump news: President rips off his mask as soon as he arrives back at White House after walking out of hospital

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Donald Trump says he will visit supporters despite coronavirus infection

Donald Trump has been discharged from Walter Reed Medical Centre after his doctors declined to reveal key details about his condition and said he wasn't "out of the wood".

Trump didn’t respond to questions as he left the hospital, saying only “thank you” before ignoring a reporter asking how many White House staff were infected and if he was a super spreader of coronavirus.

On arriving at the White House, Trump took off his mask to salute and pose for photos in front of American flags as Marine One took flight.

The president's return to the White House came after he earlier told America not to be afraid of Covid-19 as the country's death toll climbed over 210,000 and the number of positive cases among the president's inner circle reached 16.

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany and pastor Greg Laurie, who was at the Scotus Rose Garden event, were the two latest to announce a positive diagnosis on Monday.

As he prepared to end his 72-hour hospital stay, Trump began his morning furiously tweeting from his sick bed after attracting widespread condemnation over his “irresponsible” drive-by of supporters on Sunday evening.  

"RUDE!!!", the president called it. But the criticisms even came from within the president's circle, with Donald Trump Jr reported by Vanity Fair to want an intervention over the "crazy" motorcade stunt and tweet storm.

The Trump campaign, meanwhile, said their intention is for the president to make the second presidential debate on 15 October, which Joe Biden has also agreed, calling on the president listens to the science and make a nationwide mask rule.

Key Points

• Trump takes off mask and give double-thumbs up as he enters White House
• Thumbs up and double fist pump - Trump leaves hospital
• Backlash as Kayleigh McEnany tests positive for coronavirus
• Trump motorcade stunt labelled ‘irresponsible’ by Walter Reed physician
• President tweets in all caps from hospital about abortion, space and tax

[5 October 2020 17:24 · Justin Vallejo]

OPINION: ‘I sat in the front row at the debate. Did Trump infect me with the coronavirus?’

For Independent Voices, Kristin Urquiza felt betrayed and terrified when she found out the news. “An image of my father, intubated, flashed before me”.

[5 October 2020 17:40 · Justin Vallejo]

White House Correspondents Association wish Kayleigh McEnany a swift recovery

The official statement of the White House press club doesn’t share the same bombastic energy as some of its reporters.

[5 October 2020 17:55 · Justin Vallejo]

Another White House press spox positive, ABC reports

The latest is Chad Gilmartin, another staffer in the White House’s press department, according to reporter John Santucci.

[5 October 2020 18:10 · Justin Vallejo]

Trump’s list

With more White House staffers testing positive today, it’s a good time to check in on the tally of Trump’s circle that has recently contracted coronavirus. Reuters has put together this useful cheat sheet:

KAYLEIGH MCENANY

White House press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, said in a statement on Monday that she has tested positive for COVID-19, adding that she is experiencing no symptoms and “had no knowledge of Hope Hicks’ testing positive before her briefing last Thursday.”

HOPE HICKS

Hope Hicks, a close adviser to the president who often traveled with him on the Air Force One and Marine One presidential aircraft, tested positive for the disease caused by the novel coronavirus on Thursday. The disclosure of her infection, first reported by Bloomberg, set off a wave of news.

MELANIA TRUMP

Donald Trump, who had carried out a busy week of campaigning starting with the Sept. 26 introduction of his Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett at a packed White House ceremony, said on Friday that he had his wife, Melania, had tested positive.

RONNA MCDANIEL

Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel, who has had frequent contact with Trump, said on Friday she tested positive for the virus and was quarantined at home in Michigan.

SENATOR RON JOHNSON

Ron Johnson, who heads the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday, a spokesman said on Saturday.

SENATOR THOM TILLIS

Senator Thom Tillis tested positive for the coronavirus, he said in a statement on Friday. A member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Tillis positive test results comes after he attended a Sept. 26 Oval Office meeting with Barrett, who Republicans are seeking to steer onto the Supreme Court.

SENATOR MIKE LEE

Mike Lee, another senator on the Judiciary Committee, also said he tested positive on Friday. He was present at the Oval Office meeting on Sept. 26.

BILL STEPIEN

Trump’s campaign manager, Bill Stepien, also tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday and will work from home, according to a senior campaign official.

GOVERNOR CHRIS CHRISTIE

Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said on Saturday that he was checking himself into a hospital as a precautionary measure after testing positive for coronavirus.

KELLYANNE CONWAY

Kellyanne Conway, a former counselor to Trump, said in a post on Twitter that she had tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday. She attended the Sept. 26 Rose Garden ceremony for Barrett.

NOTRE DAME PRESIDENT JOHN JENKINS

University of Notre Dame President John Jenkins, who also attended the White House ceremony, said on Friday that he had tested positive.

NICHOLAS LUNA

Assistant to Trump Nicholas Luna, a “body man” who accompanies the president day and night, has tested positive, according to a source familiar with the situation.

[5 October 2020 18:41 · Justin Vallejo]

Fifteen members of Trump’s inner circle now positive with coronavirus

We did the math so you don’t have to:

1. DONALD TRUMP, President
2. MELANIA TRUMP, First Lady
3. KAYLEIGH MCENANY, White House press secretary
4. CHAD GILMARTIN, White House press (unconfirmed)
5. KAROLINE LEAVITT, White House press (unconfirmed)
6. HOPE HICKS, adviser
7. RONNA MCDANIEL, Republican Committee Chair
8. SENATOR RON JOHNSON, Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
9. SENATOR THOM TILLIS, Senate Judiciary Committee
10. SENATOR MIKE LEE, Senate Judiciary Committee
11. BILL STEPIEN, Trump campaign manager
12. CHRIS CHRISTIE, former New Jersey governor
13. KELLYANNE CONWAY, former counsellor to Trump
14. JOHN JENKINS, University of Notre Dame president
15. NICHOLAS LUNA, Trump’s ‘body man’

[5 October 2020 19:00 · Justin Vallejo]

Trump is biggest threat to press freedom in US in a lifetime, says Dan Rather

In an interview for The Independent’s ‘Journalism is not a crime’ series, veteran newsman Dan Rather spoke to Andrew Buncombe about the unprecedented situation confronting media: "The press has not been through anything like this.”

Read the full conversation: 

[5 October 2020 19:09 · Justin Vallejo]

Bernie Sanders hopes for a speedy recovery to the threat to our democracy

Beginning his campaign remarks in Michigan today, Bernie Sanders wished Donald Trump a speedy recovery.

"Let me begin by wishing the president and the First Lady a full and speedy recovery from the Covid-19 illness they are now dealing with,” Mr Sanders said.

It comes less than two weeks after a 24 September speech titled Trump’s threat to our democracy, delivered after the president went “even further down the path of authoritarianism”.

“This is not just an election between Donald Trump and Joe Biden,” Sanders said following Trump’s refusal to commit to a peaceful transfer of power. “This is an election between Donald Trump and democracy, and democracy must win.”

[5 October 2020 19:16 · Justin Vallejo]

Trump’s doctors to update president’s condition at 3pm

[5 October 2020 19:33 · Justin Vallejo]

‘RUDE!!!’: Trump responds to criticism of hospital drive-by

Criticism of the hospital drive-by have reached the president, who said it would have been rude not to visit fans waiting hours or days outside Walter Reed Medical Centre.

[5 October 2020 19:44 · Justin Vallejo]

‘Don’t be afraid of Covid’: Trump to leave hospital at 6.30pm today

The president just tweeted he will leave hospital this evening, saying he’s feeling “really good” and telling people “don’t be afraid of Covid”.

The announcement comes a few minutes before his doctor is expected to brief media on his condition.